Navalny was arrested in 2021 upon his return to Russia from Germany where he had been treated for a suspected assassination attempt by poison.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has died in prison, the local Russian prison service announced on Friday. He was 47.
“On February 16, 2024, in correctional colony No 3, convict A A Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness,” a from the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region reads.
“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,” it adds.
The Kremlin said in a statement cited by Russian news agency TASS that President Vladimir Putin has been informed of his critic’s demise and that the Kremlin has no additional information on the death.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is also quoted as saying that the federal prison service is making all necessary checks regarding his death.
‘No confirmation of this yet’
Navalny’s team, however said that they have not had confirmation of the politician’s death.
“Alexei’s lawyer is now flying to Kharp. As soon as we have information, we will report it,” Navalny’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
His chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, meanwhile described the announcement from the prison services as “a confession that they have killed” Nalvany in prison, cautioning however that they have not yet had confirmation.
Navalny was arrested in 2021 upon his return to Russia from Germany where he had been treated for a suspected assassination attempt by poison and sentenced to 19 years in a penal colony on charges of extremism.
He had initially been serving his sentence in the Vladimir region of central Russia, about 230 kilometres east of Moscow, but was transferred late last year to a “special regime” penal colony – the highest security level of prisons in Russia – above the Arctic Circle.
‘The reality of Putin’s regime’
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa was among the first to react, offering her condolences to Navalny’s family and “to all who cherish freedom”.
“Putin’s regime imprisoned and has now tortured to death one of the last symbols of democracy in Russia. I call on Russia to cease repressing political opposition and release all political prisoners,” she wrote on X.
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné also paid tribute to the late opposition leader who he said “paid for with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression.”
“His death in a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime,” he added.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.