Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison

Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has died in prison, announced Russian news agencies and the Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Region on Friday.

Russia no longer even pretends to be democratic. Liberal Alexei Navalny has died in prison.

“On Feb. 16, 2024, in correctional colony No 3, convict A A Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness,” Sky News’ English translation of the Russian statement read.

“The institution’s medical workers immediately arrived and an emergency medical team was called. All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, but they did not yield positive results. Emergency medical doctors confirmed the death of the convict.”

The prison administration stated that an investigation has been launched.

The Kremlin has refused to comment on Navalny’s death.

Navalny, a fighter and a thorn in the side of Russia’s dictatorship

Born in a village west of Moscow, Alexei Navalny had become perhaps the harshest critic of Vladimir Putin. His political activism, including extensive investigations into high-level corruption and running for Moscow mayor, gained him notoriety in Russia and abroad, leading many to see him as a democratic alternative to Vladimir Putin.

In August 2020, his fight against the Russian president made headlines worldwide. He was poisoned while flying from Siberia to Moscow. Navalny was then airlifted in a coma to Berlin, where he was saved, recalls the cited source.

German doctors confirmed he was poisoned with Novichok – a nerve agent from the Soviet era – requiring months of recovery, but the Kremlin has always denied involvement.

Despite the danger, Alexei Navalny chose to return to Russia, where he was subsequently arrested and convicted on political charges.