Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in a remote Arctic prison, according to Russian authorities. He was 47.
Navalny, a frequent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was in prison after being convicted on charges of “extremism” and sentenced to 19 years in prison. Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said that Navalny felt sick after going on a walk and soon after lost consciousness and died.
“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,” Russia’s prison service said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Navalny said his death was still being confirmed by his lawyer.
“The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is spreading the news of Alexey Navalny’s death in IK-3. We have no confirmation of this yet. Alexey’s lawyer is currently on his way to Kharp. As soon as we have some information, we will report on it,” Kira Yarmysh posted on X.
Navalny had been sentenced to prison in January 2021 after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he was undergoing treatment for poisoning from a nerve agent that he blamed on the Kremlin. The Kremlin has denied any responsibility for his poisoning, but United States intelligence officials have said they believe Russia was responsible.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
Navalny frequently faced criminal charges during his career in Russian politics, which he said were motivated because of his opposition to Putin. Navalny founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was dissolved in Russia in 2021, to expose corruption by high-ranking Russian officials and challenge the United Russia Party’s control over the country’s political system.
President Joe Biden previously promised devastating consequences if Navalny died in jail. “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” Biden said without expanding further,” Biden said after a meeting with Putin in June 2021.
He added, “What do you think happens when he’s saying it’s not about hurting Navalny, all the stuff he says to rationalize the treatment of Navalny, and then he dies in prison? It’s about trust. It’s about their ability to influence other nations in a positive way.”