US Vice President Kamala Harris said reports that Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died in a Russian prison is “terrible news” and said “Russia is responsible.”
“We’ve all just received reports that Alexey Navalny has died in Russia. This is, of course, terrible news, which we are working to confirm,” Harris said in remarks at the Munich Security Conference, adding that her prayers are with his family.
“If confirmed, this would be a further sign of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brutality. Whatever story they tell, let us be clear: Russia is responsible,” she said.
She added, “We will have more to say on this later.”
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken also have said the US is working to confirm the reports.
“I don’t want to hear any condolences”: Navalny’s mother says he was “healthy and cheerful” on Monday
Alexey Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, last saw her son in prison on Monday and he was “healthy and cheerful,” she is quoted as telling Russian independent news outlet Novaya Gazeta.
“I don’t want to hear any condolences. We saw our son in the prison on the 12th – we were on a visit. He was alive, healthy, and cheerful.”
Navalny returned to Russia “at a great cost” to him and his family
The late Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny went back to Russia from Germany in 2021 “at a great cost” to him and his family, according to CNN’s Clarissa Ward.
The father-of-two, 47, was nursed to health in a hospital in Berlin, after being poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok. On his return to Moscow he was swiftly arrested on charges he dismissed as political motivated.
“He was very hands on as a father, but he also had this sense of calling that was unmistakeable that his children understood … even though it came at a great cost,” Ward told CNN’s This Morning on Friday.
It was almost a foregone conclusion that he would be arrested and detained upon his arrival,” she added. “The story of that sacrifice is deeply embedded in that whole family.”
In late 2020, Navalny spoke to CNN as part of a joint investigation with the group Bellingcat, which implicated the Russian Security Service (FSB) in Navalny’s poisoning. Russia denied involvement.
Even though the outspoken opposition figure was aware of the dangers in returning to Russia, he came to the decision with “clarity and ease … understanding fully well the risk.”
He felt that serving the people of Russia “fundamentally, on a very deep level, was his calling.”
Blinken responds to reports of Navalny’s death: “Russia is responsible for this”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, responding to reports that Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died in prison, told reporters who were traveling with him in Munich, Germany, on Friday that “Russia is responsible for this.”
Although Blinken suggested the US is still working to confirm Navalny’s death, he made clear the US sees Russia as responsible for the opposition leader’s demise.
“For more than a decade, the Russian government — (Russian President Vladimir) Putin — prosecuted, poisoned and imprisoned Alexey Navalny, and now reports of his death. First and foremost, if these reports are accurate, our hearts go out to his wife and to his family.
“Beyond that, his death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built,” Blinken continued. “Russia is responsible for this. We’ll be talking to many other countries concerned about Alexey Navalny, especially if these reports bear out to be true.”
Earlier Friday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the administration was “actively seeking confirmation” surrounding the reports.
Putin has been informed of reports of Navalny’s death, state media reports
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of reports of Alexey Navalny’s death, state-run media Ria Novosti reports.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has accused Western leaders of rushing to judgment over Navalny’s death.
Maria Zakharova said the reaction from NATO leaders to Alexey Navalny’s death “reveals their true colours.”
“There is no forensic examination yet, but the West’s conclusions are already ready,” she said in a statement on social media.
“It is obvious for me that he was killed” Zelensky says Putin must be held to account for Navalny’s death
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian leader Vladimir Putin must be held accountable for the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, following reports of his death.
”Alexey Navalny died in a Russian prison – it is obvious for me that he was killed,” Zelensky told reporters at a joint news conference in Berlin with German chancellor Olaf Scholz.
”Putin does not care who dies as long as he stays in his position – and this is why he should lose everything. This is why he should lose the war and he should be held accountable for the crimes that were committed on his behalf,” Zelensky went on to say.
”Like thousands of others who have been tortured to death because of this single Russian leader,” Zelensky said.
European leaders pay tribute to Navalny, saying he fought for “freedom and democracy”
From CNN’s Nadine Schmidt, Sophie Tanno and Catherine Nicholls
European leaders have paid tribute to jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny following reports of his death in prison on Friday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Navalny “paid for his courage with his life.”
Scholz said that he was ”very sad” about reports of Navalny’s death, adding it was ”a terrible sign” of how Russia had changed in recent years.
Former Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the news “fills me with great sadness.”
“He became a victim of Russia’s repressive state power. It is terrible that a courageous, fearless voice that stood up for his country has been silenced by terrible methods.”
In 2020, Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, and was airlifted from the Siberian city of Omsk to a hospital in Berlin. Navalny spent 32 days at Berlin’s Charite hospital, 24 of them in intensive care, before doctors deemed his condition had improved sufficiently for him to be discharged. Navalny remained in Germany after his treatment to continue his rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, President of the European Council Charles Michel wrote in a post on X: “Alexey Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy. For the sake of his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“I extend my deepest condolences to his family. And to those who fight for democracy around the world in the darkest conditions.”
“Fighters die. But the fight for freedom never ends.”
President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “deeply disturbed and saddened” by news of the death of Navalny.
“Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people,” she wrote on X. “A grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about. Let’s unite in our fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of those who dare to stand up against autocracy.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was “very shocked” by the reports, adding that it “shows the unprecedented brutality of the Russian regime.”
“Navalny fought for democratic values and against corruption. He had to pay for his struggle with death while he was held under the most harsh and inhumane conditions,” the statement continues. I wish much strength to his family, loved ones and everyone who fought with him for change in Russia.”26 min ago
Navalny was long a thorn in the side of Putin
Alexey Navalny had long been a thorn in the side of President Vladimir Putin, exposing corruption in high places, campaigning against the ruling United Russia party, and orchestrating some of the biggest anti-government protests seen in recent years.
He returned to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated after being poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
Upon his return, Navalnvy was swiftly arrested on charges he dismissed as politically motivated. He has been incarcerated ever since.
Jailed Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny dies in prison, prison service says
Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died, the Russian prison service said.
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