Putin’s most significant critic over the past decade, Alexei Navalny, has died in an Arctic Circle jail, the BBC has reported.
The Kremlin’s most vociferous critic was serving 19 years on extremism charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.
Navalny was moved to one of Russia’s toughest penal colonies late last year.
His wife, Yulia, has appealed to the international community “to help punish this regime.”
An Anti-Corruption Foundation chief and ally of Navalny, Ivan Zhdanov, said it was “highly likely” the opposition leader had been killed and that a “murder had actually happened.”
The prison service in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets district, where Navalny was being held, said he had “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday, according to a BBC report.
The prison said in a statement that “he had almost immediately lost consciousness,” adding that an emergency medical team had immediately been called and tried to resuscitate him but without success.
“The emergency doctors declared the prisoner dead. Cause of death is being established.”
Moments later, a steady stream of Muscovites laid flowers at a monument to victims of political repression opposite the Lubyanka, once home to Russia’s notorious KGB spy service.
Navalny was arrested in 2021 upon his return to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated for a suspected assassination attempt by poison.
Before becoming the public face of Russia’s opposition, Navalny practiced law before becoming a blogger, YouTuber, protest coordinator, and anti-corruption advocate.
The 47-year-old rose to prominence by criticizing President Vladimir Putin and others close to him, whom he charged with widespread opulence and corruption.
Reports suggest President Putin has been informed about the death of his opponent, but he does not know any further details about it, according to a statement that the Russian state news agency TASS quoted.
Navalny’s last Instagram post to his wife two days ago said there were thousands of kilometres between them, “but I feel that you are near every second.” He leaves two children, Dasha, who is studying in the US, and Zakhar, who is still at school.
His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, was quoted as saying: “I don’t want to hear any condolences. We saw him in prison on the 12th [February], in a meeting. He was alive, healthy, and happy.”
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