Putin critic Navalny dies in Russian jail; West outraged

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, February 16

Alexei Navalny, one of Russian President Valdimir Putin’s fiercest critics, died on Friday in a penal colony in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District where he was serving time. He was 47-years-old and is survived by his wife.

An attempt was made on Navalny’s life by poisoning in 2020 but he was rushed to Germany in an air ambulance where he spent six months before making a full recovery.

According to the Russian prisons department quoted by Russian media, Navalny felt unwell after a walk and passed out. The colony’s medical workers immediately arrived at the scene. An ambulance crew pronounced the convict dead.

System rotting

His death in a Russian prison underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. —Antony Blinken, US Secy of state

Brutal murder

Whatever your thoughts about Alexei Navalny as a politician, he was brutally murdered by the Kremlin. —Edgars Rinkevics, President, Latvia

Russian President Vladimir Putin received a report on the death of Alexey Navalny, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The West exploded in condemnation, led by US President Joe Biden who blamed Putin for Navalny’s death and warned there could be consequences. The President of France, the NATO chief, the German Chancellor, Prime Ministers of the UK, Spain and Italy, and all European breakaway republics of the former USSR also condemned Russia over Navalny’s death.