“I’m doing well”
Navalny reports from Arctic prison camp
December 26, 2023, 11:05 a.m
There was no sign of life from him for weeks, but now it is clear: Alexei Navalny will be transferred to the Arctic penal camp “Polarwolf”. After arriving in one of the toughest prisons in Russia, the Kremlin critic reported via X. He was doing well and was also in contact with his lawyer.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is confident in his new prison camp. He said he was in good spirits on X after his arrival at the penal colony in Yamal-Nenets in Russia’s Arctic north. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” He also confirmed contacts with his lawyer Ivan Zhdanov. The penal camp known as the “Polar Wolf” is located almost 2,000 kilometers from Moscow and is considered one of the toughest prisons in Russia.
Zhdanov had thanked supporters, activists, journalists and media for caring about Navalny’s fate and for not tiring of reporting on the situation. Since December 6, there has been no information about Navalny’s whereabouts or health, fueling fears that something may have happened to the 47-year-old. He was most recently transferred to the IK-6 penal camp in Melechowo, around 240 kilometers east of Moscow.
The USA was pleased with Navalny’s sign of life. “We welcome the reports that Mr. Navalny has been located. However, we remain deeply concerned about Mr. Navalny’s well-being and the conditions of his unjustified detention,” a US State Department spokesman said. “We have let the Russian government know that it is responsible for what happens to Mr. Navalny in its custody.”
In August, Navalny was sentenced to an additional 19 years in prison, on top of the 11 and a half years he is already serving. Navalny was convicted, among other things, of extremism. His movement was banned, close associates were imprisoned or fled abroad. Navalny rejects all allegations as politically motivated: they were aimed at silencing his criticism of President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny, who also survived an assassination attempt with the nerve agent Novichok in 2020, is the best-known figure in Russia’s fragmented opposition. He was internationally recognized as a political prisoner.