Prominent Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, has passed away while serving his sentence in a remote Arctic prison, a statement by Russian authorities has confirmed.
At the age of 47, Navalny, a vocal critic of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, was serving a 19-year sentence after being found guilty of “extremism” charges.
The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia reported that Navalny started feeling unwell after a walk and subsequently lost consciousness and died. Despite immediate medical attention and resuscitation efforts, they were unable to revive him. “All necessary resuscitation measures have been carried out, but they did not yield positive results. Emergency medics confirmed the death of the convict,” the prison service said in an official statement.
While the news of Navalny’s death is being circulated, his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh stated that they are still awaiting confirmation from their legal representative. “The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is spreading the news of Alexey Navalny’s death in IK-3. We have no confirmation of this yet. Alexey’s lawyer is currently on his way to Kharp. As soon as we have some information, we will report on it,” Yarmysh announced on X.
Navalny returned to Moscow in January 2021 following his treatment for nerve agent poisoning in Germany, an incident he attributes to the Kremlin. While the Kremlin denies any involvement in the poisoning, U.S. intelligence officials have expressed their belief in Russian responsibility.
Throughout his political career, Navalny has faced numerous criminal charges, which he maintains were politically motivated due to his opposition to Putin. He founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation to expose corruption among high-ranking Russian officials and challenge the United Russia Party’s political dominance. The foundation was dissolved in Russia in 2021.
In a previous meeting with Putin in June 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden warned of severe repercussions if Navalny were to die in prison. “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” Biden stated. He further underscored the potential impacts on Russia’s global influence, saying, “It’s about trust. It’s about their ability to influence other nations in a positive way.”
