Russian opposition figure Alexey. Alexey N**Alny died on February 16 local time in the Third Correctional Facility of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
According to the announcement of the Federal Service for the Enforcement of Penalties of Russia, on the same day, Navalny suddenly felt unwell after a walk, and then lost consciousness, and medical personnel arrived in time and called for medical emergencies. Despite the best efforts of the first responders to take emergency measures, it was not possible to save his life. The offender has died, and the cause of death is yet to be determined.
Subsequently, the Punishment Enforcement Authority will follow the procedure to dispatch a commission composed of operations and medical ** to Yamal 3 Correctional Institution to conduct an investigation.
Navalny began his career as an anti-corruption blogger and street leader, organizing opposition political campaigns and using social media and blogs to build a nationwide network of supporters. Since then, he has grown into the leader of Russia's political opposition, and has been criticizing and pointing fingers at Russia's Putin. He continued to expose high-level corruption and oppose the ruling United Russia party, and planned and carried out the largest campaign in recent years.
In 2013, Navalny ran for mayor of Moscow as a civilian candidate, receiving 27% of the vote, placing him in second place. He wanted to run in the Russian** elections in 2018, but was unable to do so because his criminal case was still within the statute of limitations.
On August 20, 2020, Navalny received emergency ** for suspected poisoning. During the flight from Siberia to Moscow, he suddenly became unwell and made an emergency landing in Omsk for medical treatment, where he was transferred to a German hospital**. His spokesman had claimed that he suspected that the tea that Navalny had drunk in the morning was "poisoned", but the local hospital in Siberia denied this claim.
At that time, the United States and Europe accused Russia of orchestrating this "political **" and Russia strongly refuted. The Belarusian side also publicly stated that the phone call between Germany and Poland intercepted by the country showed that the matter was "purely fabricated" in order to prevent Russia from "intervening in the affairs of Belarus".
In 2021, after Navalny returned to Russia from Germany, he was quickly accused of political motivation and sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison for "organizing unauthorized anti-Putin ** activities", misappropriation**, fraud, etc. In August 2023, he was sentenced to another 19 years in prison for creating an extremist community, financing extremist activities, and multiple other crimes. But he denied the allegation.
Four months later, he was unable to attend a court hearing scheduled for December. The team of lawyers said on Dec. 22 that he had been missing for 17 days. "Navalny has never been hidden for so long," Navalny's team said in a Telegram post.
The White House said at the time it was "deeply concerned" by reports of Navalny's disappearance.
After 680 requests to find Navalny, the team announced on December 25 that they had "found" him in the Kapu IK-3 penal colony, more than a thousand miles away.
According to a person familiar with the matter, the conditions there are harsh and there is a special system in the permafrost area. It was very difficult to get there, and there was no letter delivery system.
Russian prison services said they were investigating Navalny's "sudden death." Navalny's spokesman, Kira Yarmish, said his lawyer was on his way to the Karp detention site.
Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov responded: Russia's Putin is aware of Navalny's death. The Russian Federal Punishment Executive is conducting an investigation into Navalny's death. He said the incident "didn't require any additional instructions." Because FSIN has a set of rules in place to comply with in this regard. ”
As soon as the news came out, politicians from NATO and many EU countries expressed their condolences and vigorously criticized Russia.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: This is "terrible news".
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: Feeling "very sad" and saying that this is a "terrible sign" of changes in Russia.
Sullivan, the White House adviser: "A terrible tragedy".
Charles Michel, President of the Council of the European Union: Russia bears full responsibility for Navalny's death.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: Navalny's death is a reminder of "the essence of Putin and his regime."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg"We need to get to the bottom of all the relevant facts, and Russia needs to answer all serious questions about the circumstances of Navalny's death." ”
Accusations against politicians in many NATO countries,Russian spokeswoman Zakharova responded on social platforms, saying, "The first reaction of the leaders of NATO countries to Navalny's death was to directly accuse Russia, which (the intention behind it) is self-evident." At the moment Navalny's death has not been examined by a forensic doctor, but the conclusions of the West are ready. ”