Amid outrage in the West over Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny‘s sudden death, the White House on Tuesday said it is preparing additional “major sanctions” on Russia.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the new sanctions, will be “specifically supplemented with additional sanctions regarding Mr Navalny’s death” an AP report said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, 47-year-old Alexei Navalny died in the Arctic prison colony on February 16 where he was serving a three-decade jail sentence. Russia’s federal penitentiary service said Navalny fell and lost consciousness after a walk at the “Polar Wolf” penal colony in Kharp, and could not be revived by medics.
The Western governments have criticised Putin heavily over Navalny’s death.
Kirby said the US had not determined how Navalny had died, but stressed that the responsibility lies with the Russian President.
“Regardless of the scientific answer, Putin’s responsible for it,” Kirby told reporters.
Navalny’s mother was told on Saturday that he died of “sudden death syndrome“. However, bruises were found on Navalny’s head and chest when his body arrived at an Artic morgue, a paramedic told independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe in a Sunday article.
Navalny’s spokesperson, on the other hand, said on Monday that Russian investigators told the mother of late opposition leader and his lawyers that the investigation into his death in prison “has been extended”.
“It is not known how long it will continue. The cause of death is still ‘undetermined’. They’re lying, playing for time and do not even hide it,” the spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said on X.
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