Alexei Navalny, fierce Putin critic and jailed opposition leader, dead: reports

Alexei Navalny, the fiercest critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, died in prison Friday, according to media reports citing Russian prison officials.

Alexei Navalny, the fiercest critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in prison Friday, according to international media reports citing Russian prison officials.

However, there has not yet been any official confirmation of those reports from those close to Navalny, including his legal team.

Navalny, 47, has been serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism in a “special regime” penal colony above the Artic Circle. He was moved there in December 2023. His allies have labelled the sentences against him as politically motivated.

Russia’s Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived to try to rehabilitate him, but he died, The Associated Press and Reuters reported, citing those Russian officials.

Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the politician’s team had no confirmation of his death so far, and that his lawyer was travelling to the town where he was held.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday Putin has been told about Navalny’s death, and Russia’s Investigate Committee said it has launched a procedural probe into the death.

Global News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment.

His allies decried his December prison transfer to the Arctic Circle as yet another attempt to force Navalny into silence. The remote region is notorious for long and severe winters.