Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny – a sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin – has reportedly died in a far-northern prison at the age of 47.
Russia’s prison agency said Navalny collapsed and died Friday after taking a walk at a prison known as the “Polar Wolf.” The prison colony is in the settlement of Kharp, about 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow, in Russia’s Arctic area.
Prison officials said Navalny fell unconscious almost immediately and was treated by medical workers who attempted to restart his breathing. But they said those efforts were unsuccessful and Navalny died shortly afterwards.
A Russian government spokesman said President Putin had been informed of the death. Navalny's wife, Yulia, said she could not be sure her husband was dead because "Putin and his government...lie incessantly."
Navalny’s reported death comes as Putin prepares for an election that could keep him in power until at least 2030.
For the past 10 years, Navalny has spoken out publicly and presented evidence of what he described as widespread government corruption. He also organized major anti-government protests and ran for public office.
Navalny had been jailed since January 2021. That is when he returned to Moscow after a stay in Germany. He had been recovering there from a poisoning incident he blamed on Russia’s government. Since then, he has received three prison sentences. Navalny has denounced them all as political.
Western leaders and others who have opposed Putin’s rule praised Navalny. The opposition leader’s health had worsened recently. The true cause of death might never be known. Some world leaders said they hold Russian officials responsible.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, if confirmed, Navalny’s death “underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this.” Blinken was speaking while attending a security conference in Germany.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters at the same conference that Navalny “has probably now paid for this courage with his life.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – standing by Scholz's side – said, “Putin doesn’t care who dies in order for him to hold onto his position.”
Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov told Reuters news agency he considers Navalny’s death “murder” because prison conditions caused his death. Muratov runs a pro-democracy newspaper. He shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in support of freedom of expression in Russia.
Yulia Navalny said, if her husband is in fact dead, Putin, and those around him "will be punished for what they have done to our country, for what they have done to my family, for what they have done to my husband."
I’m Bryan Lynn.
