In the wake of Alexei Navalny's death this week, we are learning through his letters more about his time in prison, the terrible conditions he suffered, but also what was on his mind, from American politics to the finer points of Indian cuisine. One close friend and pen pal was photographer Evgeny Feldman, who took these captivating pictures of Mr. Navalny when he was attempting to become President of Russia back in 2018. Joining us now is Evgeny Feldman. Evgeny, thank you so much for joining us. We know You said that you exchanged 37 letters with Mr. Navalny since his last arrest in 2021. You were no doubt close to him, and we do send our condolences for your loss. What did you feel when you learned of his death this week?

Well, it struck me on two levels. First of all, he was a very important person. I think a person that was the focus of my hope for a better future for Russia. I'm not sure whether there's any or many good scenarios for my country now. For me personally, he was a friend and a person who really invested a lot of hope and passion into my job as well as some personal stuff. It's been a couple of really tough days.

I can imagine. Were you expecting this, though? Did you get a sense that he was as well?

It's really hard to tell. From one point of view, obviously, he was in terrible conditions, and they were getting worse and worse. In December, he was sent to the Panel Colony on the Polar Circle, and he was kept constantly in the most harsh conditions imaginable. Even by standards of Russian prison, he was denied like basic rights. He had only one book available to him. He had no visits by his relatives. His letters from his wife to him and from him to her wife were banned by censorship. To be honest, I think I never really considered that he might actually be killed in there.

We know from your letters that former President Trump was on Nivalny's mind, and yesterday, Trump compared Nivalny's imprisonment to his own serious legal battles. If Nivalny were still alive, any idea how he might have responded to that comparison?

I don't want to speculate on that, but yes, obviously, Trump's focus on himself is ridiculous. I think that to even compare himself to Navalny and to what Navalny has been going through over these years is just a shame.

Talk to us about It was a range of emotions that Mr. Navalny expressed in his letters. We understand it wasn't all that of despair. Sometimes he just wanted to talk about Indian food in New York City, for example.

Yeah, it was never despair. Even before prison, Navalny was never a person to show any sign of weakness. But political prisoners in their letters, they always request not the condolences or stuff like that, but all of them, all I have ever been writing to, they all ask for some sense of normality. So yes, Navalny was exactly like that. We talked about his favorite parts of London or like some different street food in different cities, some movies or whatever. But You always had to keep in mind that there's a third person reading this letter as a censor in the prison and that you might never see each other again.

None of us had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Navalny. We know that he was the leader a movement. We've seen documentaries, perhaps, about him as an inspirational figure for Russians and beyond. But talk to us about the Alexei Navalny you knew, the person, and what you'll remember most about him as your friend.

I think the very unique feature of Alexei was that there's not much difference between him on stage and backstage. I think that this was one of the cornerstones of his ability to keep on despite the enormous pressure that was put on him.

Once again, I just want to extend our condolences for the loss of your good friend. And, Evgeny, we really appreciate your time and sharing your thoughts about him.

Thank you. Hi, everyone.

George Stefanopouls here. Thanks for checking out the ABC News YouTube channel. If you'd like to get more videos, show highlights, and watch live event coverage, click on the right over here to subscribe to our channel. And don't forget to download the ABC News app for breaking news alerts. Thanks for watching.