Alexei Navalny death latest: Putin critic’s mother to wait 14 days for body amid wife’s Novichok claim

Downing Street would not comment on possible future sanctions following Alexei Navalny’s death on Monday, with the prime minister’s official spokesperson telling reporters: “It is very clear that the Russian authorities saw him as a threat and that is why they imprisoned him on fabricated charges.

“The fact that the FSB (the Russian federal security service) poisoned him with a banned nerve agent and then sent him to an Arctic penal colony … his death must be fully investigated, and all of those in the Russian regime must be held to account.”

His widow Yulia has claimed his family is being blocked from seeing his body as Russian authorities sought to conceal that he was killed using the nerve agent Novichok, which he accused the Kremlin of using to poison him in 2020.

The Kremlin’s most prominent critic, 47-year-old Mr Navalny was imprisoned in January 2021 after he returned to Russia from Germany where he was recuperating from the near-lethal poisoning with a nerve agent.

The European Union has moved closer to new sanctions against Moscow over its war on Ukraine, as Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya met with the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers in Brussels.

Germany, Lithuania and Sweden were among EU countries calling at the meeting – scheduled before Navalny’s death – for specific new penalties against Russia in response to the suspected killing.

And in a development which will relieve Brussels, Hungary – the last EU country needed to pass the proposed new restrictions against nearly 200 more firms and people deemed involved in the war – said it would not stall or veto the bloc’s 13th package of Russia sanctions since Moscow invaded Ukraine.

The EU’s top diplomat suggested that Russian prison officials linked to Navalny’s death could be added to the list of those subjected to asset freezes and travel bans.

There was no immediate word of any more hard-hitting measures that could target Russia’s broader economy and an EU diplomat said so far it seemed any specific new sanctions related to Navalny’s death would be “symbolic” and come later.

Conservative MP Bob Seely (Isle of Wight) warned that jailed British-Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza could “be next” unless “every conceivable course of action” is taken to free him.

Mr Seely said: “In my conversations with Evgenia Kara-Murza, she is adamant she wants everything now done if possible to get Vladimir out, despite the fact he went back on his own accord, because his health is in a fragile condition and if Putin can kill Navalny, he can kill Kara-Murza.”

Mr Kara-Murza, 42, has been a long-term critic of the Russian president and has survived two poisonings since 2015, which have left him with a form of nerve damage called polyneuropathy.

He was jailed by a Moscow court in April 2023, leading the UK to sanction 11 individuals involved in his case.

Russia’s crackdown on those mourning Alexei Navalny’s death is an attempt by the authorities to erase him from history, according to Amnesty International. The group’s statement came amid reports that 387 people have been arrested in 39 cities across Russia for their participation in memorial activities.

“The crackdown we are witnessing following Alexei Navalny’s death in custody is not only a tragic reminder of what he fought against but also a clear indication that the Russian authorities are aiming to erase his memory,” Amnesty said in a statement.

“These callous acts are not only shockingly insensitive, but they are also a flagrant violation of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

“The removal of photos of Navalny and the swift dismantling of memorial events across the country, sometimes directly in front of mourners, reveals how the authorities are seeking to expunge his name from the history books.

“Amnesty International calls on the Russian authorities to immediately cease its insensitive campaign against those paying tribute to Alexei Navalny, immediately release all those detained solely for mourning or protesting peacefully, and ensure accountability for the abuses perpetrated against them.

“These are not isolated incidents, but part of a countrywide campaign to silence dissent and instil fear across the nation.”

Shadow foreign office minister Stephen Doughty urged the government to “review further sanctions on Russia”, including a list of 35 individuals implicated in Alexei Navalny’s 2020 poisoning.

SNP former Westminster leader Ian Blackford meanwhile, called for immediate action against Russia, saying: “Why is Russia participating in the G20 summit this week? There needs to be a very clear message to Putin.

“The only message that he will understand is that we will take the swiftest action against this international thug.”

The demand comes even as Lord David Cameron has already signalled that there could be fresh sanctions against Russian officials.

On Monday, he said he expected the UK and G7 allies to impose fresh sanctions on Russians involved in the politician’s death.

It is right to describe Alexei Navalny’s death as murder, a Foreign Office minister has said.

Leo Docherty agreed with the description of the Russian opposition leader’s death amid calls from MPs to bolster the UK’s sanctions regime in response to the incident.

The comments came as the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns, said in the Commons that “Navalny was murdered and it is important that we in this house call it out for what it was, because that is what he deserves”.

She also demanded US president Joe Biden follow through on warnings it would act if Navalny were to die.

Foreign Office minister Mr Docherty replied: “She is right to use the word murder. We do seek to hold the state and the Russian leadership to account.

“Of course I can’t comment on the American position but with regard to our policy with regard to Russian state assets, we will continue to look at the appropriate legal path to ensuring that which is frozen might be utilised to bring benefit to those affected by this outrageous and illegal war in Ukraine.”

Mr Docherty added: “His death must be investigated fully and transparently. The Russian authorities must urgently confirm the location of Mr Navalny’s body to his family and allow them access to it.”

Downing Street has not commented on possible future sanctions in response to the death of Alexei Navalny in an Arctic penal colony on Friday, but paid tribute to the jailed dissident and called for a full investigation.

However, foreign secretary Lord David Cameron has already signalled that there could be fresh sanctions against Russian officials, amid questions for Russian authorities over how Mr Navalny died and a mounting chorus of Western voices holding Vladimir Putin responsible.

Ukraine wants the European Union and Japan to impose new economic sanctions on Russia after the death of Alexei Navalny, prime minister Denys Shmyhal said today.

Ukraine asked the EU to “take a look” at increasing imports of Russian grains, Mr Shmyal said at a press conference in Tokyo.

He also told reporters that Ukraine awaits the support of the US House of Representatives after an aid package was approved by the Senate.

It remains unclear what response the UK government and other allies may take against Vladimir Putin following the death of Alexei Navalny, with Moscow already facing heavy sanctions since the start of the war in Ukraine.

In a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Rishi Sunak insisted to ministers that “Putin is not winning” but said the UK and its allies must “intensify” support for Ukraine as the country keeps up its defensive position against Moscow.

The prime minister concluded by “reiterating the importance of Ukraine’s success for Western democracy”, Downing Street said.