Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian dissident leader, has tragically passed away in a maximum security prison located in the Arctic. This marks the end of a ten-year-long struggle with Vladimir Putin’s regime, which relentlessly tried to silence and intimidate him before resorting to poisoning him in 2020 and subsequently imprisoning him when he recovered and returned to Russia in 2021.
The penitentiary services of the Yamalo-Nenets region, where Navalny was serving his sentence, announced his death on Friday afternoon, Moscow time. However, no information regarding the cause of death has been provided so far. According to prison officials, Navalny fell ill on Friday morning after returning from a walk in the prison and lost consciousness shortly afterward.
This tragic event comes amidst a wave of aggressive tactics by the Russian regime to instill fear in Europe, particularly as Ukraine grapples with an ongoing conflict and US military support remains uncertain. In the same week, there have been reports of searches and captures of leaders from Baltic countries, which Russia has been threatening for months. Intelligence reports have also warned that Russia may be planning to strengthen its military to open new fronts in Europe once Ukraine falls.
Navalny was serving multiple sentences that would have kept him in prison until at least 2031. He was last seen in public on Thursday during a court hearing via video conference, where he appeared to be in good spirits. Even as he was imprisoned, he managed to maintain his sense of humor and remained resilient.
Upon learning of Navalny’s death, Vladimir Putin, who had always avoided mentioning his name publicly, was promptly informed. The Russian media, which had refrained from reporting on Navalny’s activities for years, have now given his death prominent coverage. Despite warnings, some Russians have even gone to monuments dedicated to the victims of Soviet repression to lay flowers, as a way to express their grief. Police have been recording attendees at these unlawful gatherings, and an individual in Murmansk was even arrested for holding a sign that read, “Alexey Navalny was murdered. His blood is on your hands, Vova” — using a diminutive form of Putin’s first name.
Political leaders from around the world have condemned the Russian government for Navalny’s death. Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov dismissed these accusations from Western countries as “angry and unacceptable.”
No clues about his death
The circumstances surrounding Navalny’s death are still being investigated. According to the Penitentiary Service, doctors were called and an ambulance was dispatched. However, despite their efforts to resuscitate him, they were unable to save him. The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug penitentiary department released a statement confirming Navalny’s death. In the absence of definitive information, the propaganda channel RT speculated that Navalny may have suffered from a blood clot.
Ivan Zhdanov, the head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was Navalny’s main investigative platform, believes that his leader’s death can only be described as “a murder.”
Navalny himself always believed that Putin’s regime saw him as more dangerous dead than alive. This belief was cemented when he experienced the horrifying ordeal of being poisoned with Novichok in August 2020, shortly after boarding a flight in Siberia. Following treatment in Berlin, Navalny was detained upon his return to Moscow and never set foot on the streets again.