Dhe death of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison camp sparked horror around the world. Many observers blamed President Vladimir Putin directly for the death of his 47-year-old critic, which was first reported by Russian state media on Friday, citing the prison system. US Head of State Joe Biden also chose sharp words towards Putin. Navalny's team who fled into exile said that they no longer had any hope that the opposition politician could still be alive. However, it will only officially confirm his death once a lawyer arrives at Navalny's prison camp in Russia's far north. This was expected for Saturday morning.
Employee: Navalny “most likely” dead
“We understand that this is how it most likely happened that Alexei Navalny was killed. Very likely,” said the exiled director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, Ivan Zhdanov, during a live broadcast on YouTube in the evening. Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysch sat at his side.
“We will not tell you lies that there is any hope that tomorrow it will turn out that this is not true,” said the well-known Navalny supporter. “Such a chance is slim.” Zhdanov added: “At the moment everything indicates that a murder actually took place – the murder of Alexei Navalny in prison. And (Vladimir) Putin killed him.”
Spokeswoman Yarmysch emphasized that the team still does not have its own confirmation of Navalny's death. A lawyer and relatives are on the way to the prison camp in the far north of Russia, but are not expected to arrive there until Saturday morning. “Until this moment we cannot get confirmation. Therefore, we cannot officially confirm or deny the reports from all the Kremlin news outlets that Navalny is dead.”
Biden: Putin is responsible for Navalny's death
US President Biden, meanwhile, blamed Kremlin chief Putin for Navalny's death. While we don't know exactly what happened, there is no doubt that Navalny's death was a result of Putin's actions and those of his criminals, Biden said at the White House. “Putin is responsible.” Biden went on to say he was shocked but not surprised by the news of Navalny’s death.
Putin poisoned Navalny, had him arrested and charged with trumped-up crimes, the US president said. He put him in solitary confinement. But none of this stopped Navalny from denouncing lies, even in prison. “He was a powerful voice for the truth,” Biden said, referring to Navalny, who narrowly survived a poison attack in 2020, then recovered in Germany and was imprisoned in 2021 after returning to Russia.
Scholz: Navalny paid for “courage with his life”
Many European politicians also reacted with horror. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “We now know exactly what kind of regime this is,” said the SPD politician. At a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he recalled how he met Navalny in Berlin when he was trying to recover from the poison attack in Germany. He also talked to Navalny about the great courage it would take to return to the country. Scholz: “And he has probably now paid for this courage with his life.”
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