Alexei Navalny, Russian Opposition Leader, Reportedly Dies at 47 in Arctic Prison: ‘Proof of Putin’s Brutality’

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny reportedly died on Friday at the age of 47 after walking through an Arctic penal colony, according to Russia’s prison service – although many are skeptical about the circumstances of his sudden death, including the US government.

Navalny, a longtime critic and political opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, served a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism that many saw as politically motivated.

In the 2022 documentary of the same name, he left a message to his supporters if he was ever killed: “You are not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means we are incredibly strong.”

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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny addresses supporters during an unauthorized anti-Putin rally on May 5, 2018 in Moscow.

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty

In a statement translated from Russian by Reuters, the prison service said Navalny “felt ill” after Friday’s walk, “almost immediately losing consciousness.” Medical staff and an ambulance were called immediately, the prison service announced.

“All the necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, but they did not give positive results. Emergency doctors confirmed the death of the convict,” the press release states. The jail said it was currently trying to determine the cause of death.

Navalny was seen at Thursday’s court hearing via video link, “looking good and smiling,” according to BBC News.

Alexei Navalny. DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty

In a speech broadcast live from the White House on Friday afternoon, President Joe Biden called reports of Navalny’s death “evidence of more of Putin’s brutality,” saying, “Make no mistake, Putin is responsible.”

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Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, responded to the news by saying: “I don’t want to hear any condolences. We saw him in prison on the 12th, at a meeting. He was alive, healthy and happy,” the BBC reports.

Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, also made comments at the Munich Security Conference after reports of his death circulated.

“If this is true, I want Putin, his entourage, Putin’s friends and his government to know that they will pay for what they have done to our country, our family and my husband,” she said, according to Hill. “And that day will come very soon.”

Navalnaya said she was unsure whether to believe the news of her husband’s death because Putin and his government officials “always lie.”

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Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny (right), his daughter Daria (2nd right), son Zakhar (2nd right) and wife Julia (left) in 2019.

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Navalny’s team revealed that he was transferred to the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region in December 2023. Hill. Located in Siberia, it is known to be one of the most remote prisons in Russia.

Navalny, a former lawyer, came into the public eye around 2010, gaining a reputation as one of Putin’s most vocal critics in Russia. In 2013, he ran for mayor of Moscow and secured almost a third of the vote, a high number for someone opposed to Putin and his regime.

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In 2020, Navalny was being treated in Germany for “nerve agent poisoning” for which he blamed the Russian government, ABC News writes. He voluntarily returned to Russia and has been in prison on charges of extremism since January 2021.

His death comes just a month before Russia’s presidential election, which is likely to give Putin another six years in power.

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Flowers, candles and portraits of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny are seen outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, Germany, on February 16, 2024.

HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

In addition to his wife and mother, Navalny left behind two children, Daria and Zahar, and a brother, Oleg Navalny.

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In his latest Instagram post on Wednesday, Navalny wrote a loving message to Navalnaya.

“Honey, with you everything is like in a song: between us are cities, airport takeoff lights, blue snowstorms and thousands of kilometers,” he wrote in the caption of their picture, which was translated from Russian by Google. “But I feel you are close every second and I love you more and more ❤️.”

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