Russia dismissed accusations from Western countries as “totally unacceptable” concerning the death of Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin. The accusations came after calls from the international community for the Kremlin to provide explanations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, “He was obviously murdered.”
Yulia Naválnaya, Navalny’s wife, claimed that Putin and his associates “will be brought to justice and that day will come soon.”
As queries about Navalny’s death were echoed from the White House to NATO, Moscow authorities warned citizens not to protest on the streets. This came hours after the announcement of Navalny’s death.
The Moscow prosecutor’s office warned that organizing or participating in unauthorized rallies is an administrative offense.
A massive demonstration in Moscow
The prosecutor’s office issued a warning about the violation of the law, referring to several online calls to organize “a mass demonstration in the center of Moscow.”
The prison service of the Arctic region of Yamal announced Navalny’s death. Navalny, 47, was a leading critic of the Kremlin and was serving a 19-year sentence for “extremism”, fraud, and other charges that he considered politically motivated.
Putin in trouble?
The unexpected death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny puts Putin, who has long been at odds with the democratic opposition, in a difficult position. Navalny’s death caught Putin off guard during an election campaign trip to Chelyabinsk, and he did not comment on the matter.
Sudden death
The penitentiary services reported that Navalny “felt bad” and “lost consciousness” after a walk in the cold in the IK-3 penitentiary in the Arctic town of Jarp. Emergency medical teams tried to revive him for more than half an hour, but he died. A commission of prison officials and doctors from Moscow was sent to clarify the causes and circumstances of his death.
Navalny’s health had been a concern when he went on a hunger strike in 2021 to protest against the refusal to be treated by doctors outside the prison services.
Arctic cold and punishment cells
Navalny was transferred from a prison near Moscow to another in the Arctic, similar to practices during the Soviet GULAGs or the tsarist katorgas. The reason was his decision to launch a national campaign against Putin’s re-election. The transfer process, known as “etapirovanie”, resulted in the inmate being held incommunicado for weeks, causing significant physical and psychological exhaustion. His new prison, named “Polar Wolf”, is one of the most remote prisons in Russia.
Dmitri Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2021, wrote that Navalny had been “subjected to torment and torture for three years.” He condemned Navalny’s prison sentence as “murder” and believed his death was a direct result of his 27 stays in punishment cells for various violations.
