Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny – a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin – has died, according to the prison service.
The jailed dissident, who had campaigned against official corruption and led major anti-Kremlin protests, was 47.
Mr Putin has been informed of his death, according to the state news agency TASS.
Latest updates: EU ‘holds Russia responsible’
The Federal Penitentiary Service for Yamal said in a statement: “On 16 February 2024, in penal colony No 3, convict AA Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness.
“The facility’s medical workers immediately arrived at the scene and an emergency medical team was called in.
“All necessary resuscitation measures have been carried out, but they did not yield positive results.
“Emergency medics confirmed the death of the convict.
“The causes of death have been established.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner and campaigning journalist Dmitry Muratov, who is editor-in-chief of Russia’s most famous independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, described the death of Mr Navalny as “murder” and said he believed prison conditions had led to it.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said it is “obvious” Mr Putin was directly behind the death of his arch foe.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “This is terrible news. As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.
“My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy.”
Labouyr leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Alexei Navalny showed incredible, impossible courage in his fight for Russian democracy.
“His death is terrible news for the Russian people.”
Watch special programme on Navalny’s death at 9pm on Sky News
EU Council President Charles Michel said Mr Navalny had “fought for the values of freedom and democracy”.
He added: “For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The EU holds the Russian regime for sole responsible for this tragic death.”
Read more:
Alexei Navalny: The one man Putin refused to mention by name
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics wrote on social media that Mr Navalny had been “brutally murdered by the Kremlin”.
Sky News’ Moscow correspondent Diana Magnay said: “It’s appalling. It’s an absolute tragedy and it’s a stain on the conscience of the Russian state.
“His health has been deteriorating… he has been held in solitary confinement for much of the time since he was imprisoned after his return to Russia in January 2020.
“But it does seem very shocking that his health should have deteriorated to the extent that he’s dead now – given we have seen him in court videos, we have also had a lot of social media presence from him via his lawyers where he is constantly seen upbeat and cheerful.
“Yes, he’s been put through a lot by the prison systems but we have not had an indication that he would die this suddenly, so I just wonder if something specific happened to him.”
She added: “It will come as a huge shock to his supporters.
“He was only recently moved to this prison colony up in the very far north of the country, and it is an absolute tragedy for any notion of a free Russia, a Russian democracy, which was all that Alexei Navalny devoted his life to since he burst onto the scene in 2012.
“He has been a moral voice for Russia from his prison cell, against the war and against the lack of freedoms that he felt for his fellow countrymen. That’s why he returned to Russia after he was poisoned.
“I think a lot of people hoped that one day he would leave prison and that he might be a leader for the Russian people – but the fact that he is now dead, only a few weeks before Russia holds an election… I don’t think will play very well for Vladimir Putin.
“To see the one man who did stand as a viable opposition politician – even if he was jailed – to see that man dead.”
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Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
