Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition in prison, passed away after passing out and falling in the isolated prison colony located north of the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a lengthy sentence.
Vladimir Putin has been informed about the death of Navalny, one of the Russian president's staunchest opposers, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's statement on Friday, as per Al Jazeera.
Navalny's representative, Kira Yarmysh, stated that his attorney was en route to the IK-3 prison colony in Kharp, within the Yamalo-Nenets area.
Leonid Volkov, a Navalny aide, claimed that while he was incarcerated, Russian authorities released "a confession that they killed."
The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said in a post on her Telegram channel that the West had already drawn "conclusions" in the absence of forensic proof.
She said the immediate reactions “in the form of direct accusations against Russia are self-revealing”.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Navalny was “obviously killed by Putin”.
Speaking from Berlin, where he was signing a security deal with Germany, he added: "Putin does not care who dies as long as he maintains his position at the top," Zelenskyy said.
The foreign affairs minister, Jan Lipavsky, stated: "Russia treats its people the same as it does its foreign policy".
“It has turned into a violent state that kills people who dream of a better future, like Nemtsov or now Navalny – imprisoned and tortured to death for standing up to Putin,” he said, referring to assassinated Putin critic Boris Nemtsov.
“Alexei Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression,” French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne said on X.
“His death at a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime,” Sejourne said, expressing condolences to Navalny’s family and the Russian people.
European Council President Charles Michel said the Russian dissident “fought for the values of freedom and democracy” and made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The EU holds the Russian regime for sole responsible for this tragic death.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Navalny's courage cost him his life.
Scholz remembered times when he had discussed with Navalny the "great courage" that had driven him to return to Russia following his recovery from a poisoning in Berlin.
“He has now paid for this courage with his life,” said Scholz.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the reports of Navalny’s death.
“We need to establish all the facts, and Russia needs to answer all the serious questions about the circumstances of his death.”
Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billstrom said if the “dreadful news” about Navalny is true then it “represents another terrible crime by Putin’s regime”.
“The ruthlessness against Navalny shows again why it is necessary to continue to fight against authoritarianism.”
Terming his death as terrible news, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said as the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.
“My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy,” Sunak said
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said in a post on X: “Whatever your thoughts about Alexey Navalny as the politician, he was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin.”
“The Russian Government bears a heavy responsibility,” wrote Espen Barth Eide, the foreign minister of Norway, on X, adding that he was saddened by the news of Navalny’s death in prison.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov told the Reuters news agency that Navalny’s death constituted “murder”.
According to the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, the most well-known independent newspaper in Russia, he feels that his incarceration caused his death.
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