Moscow: Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian opposition leader and staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin, was found dead on Friday after losing consciousness following a walk at the “Polar Wolf” Arctic penal colony, where he was serving a lengthy sentence, according to reports from news agencies.
The Russian prison service stated that Navalny, aged 47 and a former lawyer, complained of feeling unwell after his walk at the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp, situated approximately 1,900 km northeast of Moscow within the Arctic Circle.
News agencies further confirmed that President Vladimir Putin had been informed of Navalny’s death.
Navalny had been in prison since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after undergoing treatment in Germany for nerve agent poisoning, an incident he attributed to the Russian government. Prior to his arrest, he had been actively campaigning against corruption and organizing significant anti-Kremlin protests. He has since received three prison terms and spent months in isolation in Penal Colony Number 6 for alleged minor violations.
Later, Navalny’s sentence was extended to 19 years on charges of “extremism,” leading to his transfer to a stricter and more secure prison environment. Navalny consistently rejected the charges against him as politically motivated.
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