Opposition leader and fierce critic Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died in a Russian prison aged 47.
Alexey Navalny was arrested and imprisoned in 2021 after returning from treatment in Germany after being poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent, Novichok. he had been very outspoken about the corruption in high places and orchestrated some of the country's most successful protests against Russia's ruling party.
The opposition leader had been serving his 19-year prison sentence at a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle before his untimely demise. He was found guilty of establishing an extremist community, sponsoring extremist activists, and committing additional crimes. He was already serving 11-and-a-half-year terms in a maximum-security jail for fraud and other accusations, which he denies, terming as politically motivated.
According to the prison service, Navalny “felt unwell after a walk” and “almost immediately” lost consciousness and that they were investigating his death.
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According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, President Putin had been made aware of Navalny's death and that it is up to the doctors to determine the cause of death.
“As far as we’re aware, in accordance with all the rules, the prison service is carrying out checks and clarifications,” Peskov told reporters. Asked about reports that the death involved a blood clot, he replied: “I don’t know. Doctors must find it out.”
