Alexei Navalny death: dozens reportedly arrested in Russia protests as Biden blames Putin ‘and his thugs’ – as it happened

Biden declares Putin and ‘his henchmen’ responsible for Navalny’s demise

Joe Biden firmly asserts that Vladimir Putin bears full responsibility for the demise of Alexei Navalny while in a Russian prison.

Addressing the White House in his initial remarks following the news of the death of one of Putin’s most vocal critics, the US president states that he, like millions of people worldwide, is “not at all surprised and deeply angered by the reported passing of Alexei Navalny.”

Make no mistake. Putin is accountable for Navalny’s death.

Putin is to be blamed. The ongoing situation only reinforces Putin’s brutality. Nobody should be deceived, be it in Russia or anywhere else in the world, regarding Putin’s targeting not only of foreign citizens, as seen in the current events in Ukraine, but also of his own people, inflicting heinous crimes upon them.

During a subsequent Q&A session with reporters, Biden mentions that formal confirmation of the Russian opposition leader’s passing is still awaited by the US but expresses no doubt about it.

When asked if he considers it an “assassination,” Biden responds:

The answer is that we don’t have all the details yet. However, there is no question that Navalny’s death is a result of something done by Putin and his henchmen.