Putin Critic Alexei Navalny Dies In Prison At 47, Biden Blames The Kremlin

According to an announcement made by the Russian prison service on Friday, prominent Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died while in custody. Navalny’s demise comes amidst President Vladimir Putin‘s consolidation of power and ahead of an upcoming election in March.

The 47-year-old activist had been engaged in a protracted battle against official corruption and the government of Putin and survived multiple poisoning attempts. Navalny was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent while on a business trip in Russia in 2020 and firmly held Putin responsible for the assassination attempt. He spent his final years incarcerated as the Russian leader reshaped the nation to rally support for his military campaign in Ukraine. News of Navalny’s death coincides with the Kremlin’s preparations to orchestrate another electoral victory for Putin, which has intensified international scrutiny.

Russia’s Federal Prison Service’s statement read, “On February 16, 2024, in penal colony No. 3, convict A.A. Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness.”

The statement continued, “The facility’s medical workers immediately arrived at the scene and an emergency medical team was called in. All necessary resuscitation measures have been carried out, but they did not yield positive results. Emergency medics confirmed the death of the convict.”

From the White House, President Joe Biden blamed Putin. “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,” he said.

At the time of his death, Navalny was serving a combined sentence of 30 years. He disappeared within Russia’s penal system in December and was later discovered in a high-security penal colony located in a remote town above the Arctic Circle.

The exact cause of Navalny’s demise remains unknown, and the region’s investigative committee has initiated a procedural investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding his death.

Concerns over Navalny’s well-being and the harsh prison conditions he endured were previously raised by his supporters. They claimed he was subjected to extended periods in cramped “punishment cells” for minor infractions. Nevertheless, Navalny appeared healthy and in good spirits in a court appearance via video link from the penal colony just a day before his death.

Navalny’s mother attested to his well-being and stated that she saw him on Monday and found him to be alive, healthy and content. However, the circumstances around his reported death have cast doubt on the accuracy of these statements.

In 2022, Navalny’s previous poisoning was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary.

Navalny’s allies, along with his spokesperson, have expressed uncertainty and lack of confirmation in regards to his death. Leonid Volkov, a close and longtime ally, stated, “Russian authorities publish a confession that they killed Alexey Navalny in prison… We do not have any way to confirm it or to prove this isn’t true.”

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an exiled former oligarch-turned-opposition figure, also held Putin accountable and stated that regardless of the official cause, Putin bears responsibility for Navalny’s premature demise as he authorized the poisoning and subsequent imprisonment.

The passing of Navalny has reverberated globally, intensifying the scrutiny of Russia’s political landscape and prompting renewed calls for justice and accountability.

Last week, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson gave a soft-ball interview to Putin where he failed to fact-check numerous false statements, including that Poland had started World War II.

Thirty-nine top Russian officials have died under mysterious circumstances since 2022.