Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Dies In Arctic Prison, 'Felt Unwell' After Walk

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died Friday at the Arctic prison colony, Russia’s federal penitentiary service said in a statement. Navalny, who was serving a 19-year term, was a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk and “almost immediately lost consciousness”, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. “Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called. Resuscitation measures were carried out, which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict,” the statement said.

The cause of death is yet to be determined.

‘Most prominent opposition leader’

The press secretary of Navalny said his team had not been informed of his death. “Alexei’s lawyer is now flying to Kharp,” where his prison colony is, Kira Yarmysh said in a post on social media. Citing his spokesperson, Russian news agencies reported that Putin had been informed of Navalny’s death.

Russia’s most prominent opposition leader won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. He was jailed in early 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recuperating from a near-fatal poisoning attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.

Read More: Who Was Alexei Navalny? Russian Opposition Leader Survived Poison Attack But Died In Prison

The 47-year-old leader was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges questioned by several rights groups and in the West as retribution for his opposition to the Kremlin. Navalny was moved in December from his former prison in the Vladimir region of central Russia to a “special regime” penal colony, above the Arctic Circle.

His allies decried the transfer to a colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow, as yet another attempt to force Navalny into silence. The remote region is notorious for long and severe winters. Western governments, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, came down heavily on Putin over the sudden death of Navalny.

Read More: Jailed Russian Opposition Leader Navalny’s Death Spurs Western Outcry, Rebuke to Putin

The White House said the death of the Russian opposition leader, if confirmed, would be “a terrible tragedy.” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the death of Navalny is “terrible news” and a “huge tragedy” for the people of Russia. Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the opposition leader’s death, saying the Russian opposition leader paid for his courage with his life.

(With agency inputs)