Russia claims Alexei Navalny 'died of sudden death syndrome' after Putin critic's body 'goes missing'

RUSSIA has claimed that Alexei Navalny died of “sudden death syndrome” after his body went missing earlier today.

The mother and lawyer of Putin’s biggest critic were told he had died of the condition as they waited to say goodbye to his body at the morgue.

Navalny has been one of Putin’s direct rivals because of his anti-Kremlin views and growing popularity in RussiaCredit: AP: Associated Press

Navalny’s mother Lyudmila Navalny in the penal colony IK-3 Credit: Reuters

Cities around the world have created makeshift memorials for the Kremlin critic, including Amsterdam (pictured), Tokyo, London, Madrid, California, Berlin and LisbonCredit: Rex

His death was confirmed on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to a document given to Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalna.

Navalny’s body was not at the morgue in Salehard – in the Arctic Circle – where officials told his family it had been taken.

Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh demanded that his body be immediately handed over to his family before it somehow disappears.

Literally every time they lie, drive in circles and cover their tracks

Spokesperson Kira YarmyshNavalny

Russian authorities later said they had delayed releasing the body because they had not yet discovered the cause of death, before revealing it was “sudden death syndrome,” according to Navalny’s prominent ally Ivan Zhdanov.

Yarmysh said: “It is obvious that they are lying and doing everything they can to not hand over the body.

“Now the Investigative Committee directly says that until the verification is completed, Alexei’s body will not be handed over to his relatives.”

Yarmysh said they were told to go to the Salekhard morgue so they could say goodbye to Navalny, but when they arrived it was closed and there was no sign of the Kremlin critic’s body.

But after several phone calls, Yarmysh was told: “They don’t have Alexey’s body in the morgue.

“Only an hour ago, the lawyers were told that the investigation was completed and that no criminal offense had been established.

“They literally lie every time, drive around in circles and cover their tracks.”

Jerome Starkey discusses the ‘shocking’ death of Alexei Navalny and what it means for Russia’s political future

Prison authorities in Russia said Navalny collapsed and died after a walk in the terrifying “Polar Wolf” prison, where he served a three-decade sentence.

Navalny, Putin’s leading domestic critic in Russia, has bravely stood up to the tyrant’s rule and his horrific war in Ukraine.

His supporters feared he would be killed while behind bars.

Pictures show a woman believed to be Lyudmila at the brutal IK-3 Polar Wolf penal colony in northern Russia after news of her son’s death broke.

She was seen traveling in a black car wearing a face mask and sunglasses to conceal her identity.

We don’t have much reason to suspect a natural death. Before our eyes we see a deliberate murder, not something else

Ekaterina Shulman, political analyst

Many are questioning the circumstances of his death after he was seen laughing and joking with the judge in a video call on Thursday.

His family also said he was in good health when they visited him in prison just three days before his death.

In the days before his death he was “cheerful and healthy”.

“We knew there was a risk, Alexei knew it too. And yesterday they killed him as they planned to do three years ago,” said Yarmysh.

Prominent Russian political analyst Ekaterina Shulman told Bild in Russian: “We don’t have much reason to suspect a natural death.”

“We see before our eyes a deliberate murder, not something else,” she said.

“Not even death from the harsh conditions (in the Arctic prison).”

People in Russia say he could potentially have been drugged or poisoned inside the colony run by Colonel Vadim Kalinin, 51.

Former FSB colonel Gennady Gudkov (67), an opposition politician like Navalny, supported these theories.

He said: “They kept him… in conditions of torture.

“Either his body could not withstand such torture (or) maybe they gave some drug that causes heart failure, they could have given poison.

“We will find out the truth only when Putin leaves. The fact that they killed him is beyond doubt.”

A total of 231 people were arrested in Russia for attempting to lay flowers in Navalny’s honor or protesting his death.

What is sudden death syndrome?

SUDDEN death syndrome is a common killer worldwide.

Also known as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, it occurs when someone has a ‘ventricular arrhythmia’ – also known as a heart rhythm disorder.

The rhythm of our heartbeat is controlled by the natural electrical activity in the cells of our heart, and if this electrical current is disrupted, cardiac arrest can occur.

There is a group of fairly rare diseases called ion channelopathies that can cause these potentially fatal disorders.

They can only be detected when a person is alive, not during an autopsy, studies show.

Research has shown that around 500 deaths a year in the UK are caused by sudden death syndrome.

USUAL SYMPTOMS

Chest pain
Severe shortness of breath
Heart beating
Prolonged dizziness
Unconsciousness
Blackouts

Although sometimes there may be no symptoms, hence the creepy name.

REACTIONS IN THE WORLD

David Cameron rebuked Vladimir Putin for his role in Navalny’s death, saying “we need to hold Putin accountable” as he criticized Russia’s “horrible” regime.

He said: “There should be consequences… look what Putin’s Russia has done to him.

“He also died because of the action taken by Putin’s Russia.

“No one can look at this regime now and not recognize its truly horrific nature.”

Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death

Joe Biden US President

Protesters gathered outside the embassy in London shouting slogans critical of Putin.

One sign read: “Putin is a murderer.”

And two more said “war must stop” and “love is stronger than war”.

US President Joe Biden fiercely said: “Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”

He added: “Even in prison there was a strong voice of truth.”

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics raged at Xu that Navalny was “brutally killed by the Kremlin.”

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Obviously, Putin killed him.”

In Berlin, a crowd of around 500 to 600 people gathered on the city’s Unter den Linden boulevard, chanting in a mixture of Russian, German and English.

Some chanted “Putin to The Hague,” referring to the international criminal court investigating possible war crimes committed in Ukraine.

Police used barriers to close the road between the Russian embassy and the crowd.

“Alexei Navalny is the leader of the Russian opposition and we have always had hope on his behalf,” said the Russian, draped in a blue and white anti-war flag, giving his name only as Ilia.

In Lithuania, which was once ruled by Moscow and is now a member of NATO and the European Union, protesters laid flowers and candles next to Navalny’s portrait.

“He’s always been with us, so it’s all surreal,” said Lyusya Shtein, 26, a Pussy Riot activist who has lived in Vilnius since leaving Russia in 2022.

“None of us still understand what happened,” she added.

In Russia itself, prosecutors have warned Russians not to participate in any mass protest in Moscow.

The police watched as some Russians came to lay roses and carnations at the monument to the victims of Soviet repression in the shadow of the former KGB headquarters.

Groups gathered in Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sofia, Geneva, Lisbon and The Hague.

Pavel Elizarov, a 28-year-old Russian living in Portugal, said Navalny was a “symbol of freedom and hope”.

Near the Russian embassy in Paris, where about 100 protesters gathered, Natalija Morozov said that Navalny was a symbol of hope for her as well.

Navalny’s wife Julija was in Munich on Friday, where a vigil was also held.

At the Munich Security Conference, she said she could not be sure her husband was dead because “Putin and his government … lie all the time.”

Yulia said that if it is confirmed she wants them to know that they will “bear responsibility”.

On the other side of the Atlantic, at a vigil in front of the Russian consulate in New York, Violetta Soboleva said she volunteered in Navalny’s 2017 presidential campaign.

“I really believed that he was the one and that he could lead Russia into a better future,” said Soboleva, a Russian who is studying for a doctorate in New York.

She continued, “And now we’ve lost this future forever.”