Alexey Navalny dead in a Russian penal colony, prison service says

Alexey Navalny, a potent political foe who survived at least two suspected poisonings and never shied away from criticizing Russia's President Vladimir Putin, even from prison, has died in a penal colony, Russian prison authorities said Friday. The Office of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District reported his death, saying he "felt unwell" after going for a walk on Friday and "almost immediately losing consciousness."

"Medical workers from the institution arrived immediately and an emergency medical team was called. All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, but did not yield positive results," the prison authority said in a statement. "Emergency doctors confirmed the death of the convict."

Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said her team was unable to confirm the information from the prison service.