Three women are risking everything to fight for democracy, despite not being politicians by accident.

• Yulia Navalnaya has assumed the political cause of her deceased husband, Alexei Navalny: "I will carry on Alexei Navalny's work. Keep fighting for our nation. And I urge you to join me."
• Lisa Yasko, a 33-year-old member of the Ukrainian Parliament, stated that she joined politics with the goal of bringing about change.
• Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya characterized herself as an "unintentional politician."

Yulia Navalnaya "did not have a choice."

One Ukrainian lawmaker stated that the wife of the late Alexei Navalny, who pledged to carry on her husband's political work in Russia, fighting for democracy, after his death in a Siberian prison last month.

In Munich at a security conference, Navalnaya was initially unsure about the reports of Navalny's death.

I contemplated whether to remain on stage or return to my children. Then, I wondered what Alexei would have done in my place. I am confident that he would have been standing here on this stage.

Yulia Navalnaya has made her husband's mission her own.

In a video message shared on X, she stated, "I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny and invite you to stand next to me as we continue to fight for our country."

A sense of injustice

Lisa Yasko, a 33-year-old member of the Ukrainian Parliament, stated that she can relate to her partner's situation since he is currently imprisoned in Georgia for opposing the ruling authorities.

In 2014, Yasko from Kyiv became a political activist due to the Maidan Uprising, where Ukrainians protested for closer ties with the EU rather than Russia.

She shared with CNBC via Zoom last month that she felt a sense of injustice and believed she should be in politics to make a change.

At the time, Ukraine's pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych had disregarded his country's parliament and declined to sign a cooperation agreement with the European Union.

In 2019, Yasko met Zelenskyy and decided to join his party as a lawmaker.

During the early stages of her political career, Yasko was viewed as "the newcomer." However, she notes that women in politics gained "more recognition" after Russia's invasion.

The Ukrainian delegation, led by Yasko, traveled to the Munich Security Conference in February to request increased support from Western allies.

Yasko stated that Ukraine is currently under "double or triple the pressure" two years into Russia's full-scale invasion.

The 'accidental politician'

Belarus' opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is no stranger to fighting for democratic values. She became the opposition leader after her husband was arrested for challenging President Aleksandr Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since 2020, Tsikhanouskaya has been in exile after running against Lukashenko in a presidential election. She advocates for stronger sanctions on Lukashenko, who has pushed for the arrest of hundreds of activists who have challenged his almost three decades in power.

She revealed to CNBC via Zoom that she identifies as an accidental politician.

In 2020, my husband decided to run for presidency, but he was immediately arrested and prevented from running. Out of love for him, I decided to run.

In May 2023, Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that Belarus was "unjustly" detaining over 1,500 political prisoners.

Tsikhanouskaya stated that her motivation comes from the immense suffering she endures, which transforms into strength.

When you wake up every day with thoughts about your husband and pain from the atrocities and tortures happening, you know how angry you are with this lawlessness.