Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Dies in Prison: Putin Critic Passes Away

Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced the opening of an investigation into the death of Alexei Navalny. He reportedly lost consciousness during a walk and was unable to be revived by medical professionals. The prison service stated that Navalny began feeling unwell after his walk, quickly losing consciousness. Despite immediate medical attention and resuscitation efforts, he could not be saved.

The exact cause of his death is currently under investigation. Navalny’s press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, expressed that his team had not been informed of his passing and indicated that his lawyer was en route to his prison colony. Reports from Russian news agencies suggested that President Vladimir Putin had been notified of Navalny’s death. Navalny, 47, was a prominent opposition figure in Russia known for his outspoken criticism of corruption within the Putin administration.

His YouTube channel, where he exposed corrupt practices, garnered millions of views and inspired widespread protests in Russia, despite the country’s strict regulations on demonstrations. Having returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from a near-fatal poisoning with Novichok, Navalny was sentenced to 19 years in prison on widely condemned charges of opposing the Kremlin. He was later transferred to a remote prison colony in the northern Siberian region. His last post on Telegram was a tribute to his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, shared on Valentine’s Day.

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