Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison, and the West reacted instantly to the news of his tragic death.
Navalny, the most prominent rival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges.
Alexei Navalny's lawyer told Novaya Gazeta that his client was in good condition 2 days ago.
"According to the decision of Alexei Navalny's family, I will not comment on anything. We are currently dealing with clarifying things. I was with Alexei on Wednesday. Then everything was normal," the publication quoted the lawyer as saying.
France said Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to oppression by the Putin regime.
"Alexei Navalny paid 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," French Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejournet wrote in X.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'afraid of any competition' and understands only 'violence'," said the head of the presidential administration in Ukraine, Andriy Yermak.
"Putin is the greatest evil who fears any competition. The lives of Russians mean nothing to him," he wrote on Telegram. "There can be no negotiations with him. The only language he understands is the language of violence," he added.
Boyko Borisov declared: "Navalny is dead?! No - Navalny is killed! The regime killed him! This is a murder against democracy".
"We need strong pressure on the Kremlin and more help for Ukraine," Borissov emphasized.
European Council President Charles Michel said the Russian opposition leader had fought for the values of freedom and democracy.
"The world has lost a fighter whose courage will be remembered for generations to come," wrote the President of the European Parliament Roberta Mezzola in X. "I am horrified by his death. Russia took his freedom and his life, but failed to take away his dignity. His fight for democracy continues", she added.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the news as "appalling".
"As the fiercest defender of Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life. My thoughts are with his wife and with the people of Russia, for whom this is a tremendous tragedy," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that it was "obvious" that Vladimir Putin was directly behind the death of Alexei Navalny. The Ukrainian head of state emphasized that Vladimir Putin does not care who dies, "as long as his position at the head of the state is secure."
Russian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov described Navalny's death as "murder".
"Putin killed Navalny 'slowly and publicly in prison,'" said world-renowned chess champion Garry Kasparov.
"Navalny was finally killed by Putin today," investigative journalist Hristo Grozev wrote in X.
Alexei Navalny was arrested in January 2021 on his return to Russia from Germany, where he was being treated after a poisoning attempt. According to the dissident, the attempt to assassinate him was organized by the Russian special services.
In February 2021, the court suspended Navalny's previous prison sentence for alleged financial fraud. In March 2022, the oppositionist received another sentence - nine years in a high-security penal colony on charges of embezzlement and contempt of court. Two months later, new charges were brought against Navalny, including "creating an extremist organization", and in October 2022 the list of charges was expanded to include "promoting terrorism" and "rehabilitating Nazism".
In August 2023, a Moscow court found Navalny guilty of alleged "extremist activity" and sentenced him to a total of 19 years in prison. As reported by the Meduza website, Navalny was supposed to be transferred to a high-security penal colony designed for the most dangerous prisoners, including recidivists and lifers.
Navalny has repeatedly complained about the conditions in the penal colony, directly calling them torture. The Kremlin critic reported that he was deprived of sleep, denied medical care, and deliberately placed in a cell with a convicted murderer who suffered from serious illnesses and poor personal hygiene. He was also not allowed any contact with his defenders or relatives.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced that Putin had been informed of the politician's death.
"As far as we know, now by all the current rules, the FSIN is dealing with all the checks and clarifications and so on. No orders are needed, because there is a certain set of rules on this matter that the FSIN is now guided by," he said Peskov.
The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the immediate reaction of the NATO countries to the death of Alexei Navalny was "self-revealing", as they were already ready with the conclusions without waiting for the forensic examinations. /BGNES
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