Navalny dies in Russian prison at age 47, officials say

Alexei Navalny, the leader of Russian opposition against President Vladimir Putin, died Friday in prison at the age of 47, officials said.

The Russian Federal Prison Service said Navalny felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived and its crew tried to rehabilitate him but was unsuccessful, it added.

The death of Navalny quickly triggered consternation around the world and is likely to be seen by the Biden administration as an aggressive and bold act by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking at a Munich security conference, quickly cast doubt on Russia’s version of events.

“We’ve all just received reports that Alexei Navalny has died in Russia. This is of course terrible news, which we are working to confirm,” Harris said.

“My prayers are with his family, including his wife Yulia, who is with us today,” Harris continued. “If confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin’s brutality. Whatever story they tell, let us be clear: Russia is responsible, and we will have more to say on this later.”

The death of the opposition leader comes as Russia’s war with Ukraine nears its second anniversary and as Putin’s confidence in that conflict may be growing.

U.S. support for Ukraine has become tenuous. The Senate this week approved a package that includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, but that bill faces an uncertain path in the GOP-majority House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has indicated his opposition.

Former President Trump, the leading candidate to be the GOP’s presidential nominee this year, has also come out against further aid to Ukraine while some of his allies suggest a loan program.

Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism and in December was moved from a different prison to the highest-security level facility in the country near the Arctic Circle. The “special regime” penal colony prison in the town of Kharp, which is about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow, is in a remote area known for its severe winters.

His spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, her team had no confirmation of his death. Navalny’s lawyer was on his way to the prison, she said, adding she would share more information as soon as possible.

The Kremlin said later Friday that Putin had been notified about Navalny’s death, according to Russian state-run media outlet TASS.

Navalny has been imprisoned since January 2021 when he returned to Russia after recovering from a poisoning he blamed on Putin. Putin has denied trying to kill Navalny with the nerve agent poison.

Navalny, who was serving a 19-year prison sentence on extremism charges, was transferred in December to a frigid prison facility above the Arctic Circle on the Yamal Peninsula, a region known as the “end of the world.”

The transfer came after the activist disappeared for about three weeks, with his lawyers and staff unable to account for where he was during the time. When he finally emerged back in public, he was at the new prison facility and making light of the matter.

Navalny, a public figure for campaigning against official corruption and organizing anti-Kremlin protests while running for public office, was the most prominent opposition leader to Putin’s rule in the past decade. But like other Putin critics, he faced a harsh crackdown from the Kremlin.

He was poisoned in 2020 while out of Russia, but he returned to the country and was imprisoned by authorities on charges of violating the terms of a previous sentence. His organization, the Anti-corruption Foundation, has also been forced out of Russia and relocated to Vilnius, Lithuania. It’s not clear how it might operate without Navalny leading it.

Navalny has denounced his sentences and maintained they were politically motivated. The U.S. has also condemned his jailing and his poisoning. Navalny was a critical figure in the West, known for his fierce opposition to Putin and willingness to stand up to the Kremlin.

Navalny was an active politician in Russia for years but became a prominent Putin critic in the 2010s, joining protests against accusations of fraud in government. Over time, he built up a considerable following and was popular for his activist videos on YouTube highlighting Kremlin corruption.

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated at 9 a.m.