- The critic of the Russian leadership, Alexei Navalny, is dead. This is reported by the Telegram channel of the Russian newspaper Kommersant as well as other channels and media. They rely on the Federal Penitentiary Administration.
- The Russian presidential office says it has no information about the cause of Navalny’s death and that investigations in the penitentiary authority are ongoing.
- The international reactions to the news of his death are numerous and the majority blame Putin’s regime for the death of the opposition politician.
After a walk outdoors, 47-year-old Navalny felt unwell and almost immediately lost consciousness, the prison administration of the northern Yamalo-Nenets region said. Despite the intervention of medical personnel, Navalny could not be revived. The exact cause of death is currently being determined, according to the state news agency Tass.
Investigations into the cause of Navalny’s death have been initiated. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened proceedings. The committee itself announces this.
No direct confirmation of death
The imprisoned Russian opposition politician’s team says they have not yet received direct confirmation of his death. His spokeswoman Kira Jarmysch wrote this on Portal X (formerly Twitter). So far there is only the general communication from the correctional system, she said. Navalny’s lawyer is on his way to camp IK-3 north of the Arctic Circle. According to the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, Navalny’s mother also initially expressed her doubts about her son’s death. Later, Navalny’s widow called on the world to fight the Russian government at the security conference.
Navalny had received a total sentence of more than 30 years in prison on various charges, including fraud and extremism. Navalny had always denied the allegations and described the authorities’ actions against him as politically motivated.
Demand for better prison conditions
Last December, Alexei Navalny was transferred to the “Polar Wolf” penal camp in the icy north of the country, which is considered one of the toughest prisons in Russia. The drastic prison conditions there contributed to his poor health.
Back in January of this year, Navalny called for improved prison conditions, including longer meal breaks, at a court hearing. Navalny repeatedly filed lawsuits against the prison system to draw attention to the violation of his rights.
From disgust to outrage
The international reactions to the news of Navalny’s death were not long in coming. Shortly after the news of Navalny’s death, the first demonstrators protested in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged the government in Moscow to investigate Navalny’s death.
The FDFA also expressed its dismay. The Russian was a defender of democracy and fundamental rights, wrote the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) on the news portal X. The FDFA expects an investigation into the cause of death to be initiated. The department also expressed its condolences to Navalny’s family.
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said Alexei Navalny had paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression. “His death in a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime,” said Séjourné.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the death of the Russian Kremlin critic as “terrible news”. “As the fiercest defender of Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny has shown incredible courage throughout his life,” wrote the head of government on the X platform (formerly Twitter). “My thoughts are with his wife and the Russian people, for whom this is a tremendous tragedy.”
Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin also praised Alexei Navalny. “Navalny is one of the most talented and courageous people in Russia,” he writes on the Telegram text messaging service.