The decision is up to Putin alone, Navalnaya said: “I demand that Alexei’s body be returned immediately so that I can bury him humanely.” Attempts to locate the body were repeatedly rejected by the prison morgue and local authorities.
According to Navalny's team, investigators said on Monday that the body would be kept under lock and key for a “chemical analysis” for another 14 days. This is a “complete lie and mockery”. Navalny's body is being “hidden to cover up traces of the murder”, said Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Jarmisch.
Portal/Maxim Shemetov Navalny's mother, Lyudmila (l.), is accompanied by her dead son's lawyer in the search for his body
Kremlin rejects international investigation
On Tuesday, the Kremlin rejected an international investigation requested by the EU into the death of the jailed opposition politician. “We do not accept such demands at all,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. This is interference in internal affairs.
Peskov dismissed Yulia Navalnaya's accusations as “unfounded and outrageous”. However, like Putin, he did not see her message and wanted to avoid commenting because she “is currently a widow”. In a video message on Monday, Navalnaya, 47, directly blamed Putin for her husband's death. She announced that she would continue the fight against Putin's system.
Julia Navalnaya's X account temporarily blocked
With a message about “People don’t think about saying goodbye to him”.
Shortly after this news, Navalnaya's X account, which had only been created on Monday, was temporarily blocked. The message appeared: “Account blocked. “X blocks accounts that violate our rules.” The profile became available again after about an hour. The platform's defense mechanism against manipulation and spam incorrectly flagged the account as violating the rules. When the error was noticed, the account was activated again.
AP Yulia Navalnaya called on the EU not to recognize the Russian presidential elections
In a video message on Tuesday, Navalnaya called on the EU not to recognize the Russian presidential elections: “A president who assassinates his main political rival cannot, by definition, be legitimate.”
“Rewarding Putin for Torture” Promotion
The Russian regime has taken harsh action against Navalny's supporters in recent days – even if people have only publicly expressed their sadness. Hundreds of people were arrested out of public sympathy and sentenced to prison or fines in summary proceedings. A new criminal case has been opened against Navalny's brother Oleg, the TASS news agency reported, but not what he is accused of.
Peskov on Tuesday defended the numerous arrests commemorating Navalny's death: “The law enforcement authorities act in accordance with the law.” This is a completely normal occurrence and there is no connection with Navalny's death.
Navalny's confidants see the situation differently. For example, the deputy head of the FSIN prison authority, Valeri Boyarinew, was promoted to colonel general of the Ministry of the Interior. The director of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK) founded by Navalny, Ivan Zhdanov, stated that he was personally responsible for Navalny's torture in prison: “One must understand this as an open reward from Putin for torture.”
APA/AFP/Alexander Nemenov Ilya Yashin, arrested opposition figure, accuses Putin of killing Navalny
Navalny’s assassination “ordered” by Putin
Jailed Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin also sees Putin as responsible for Navalny's death. He “ordered” the assassination and did it “demonstratively” with a view to the upcoming presidential elections in March, so that “no one doubts Putin’s involvement”, wrote Yashin in a letter distributed on Tuesday.
In Putin's understanding, power is expressed through “murder, cruelty and revenge”, said the opposition activist and former employee of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, murdered in 2015. This is not the thinking of a statesman, but of a “gang leader.” Navalny will go down in history as a “man of extraordinary courage”.
US announces new sanctions
Meanwhile, the US wants to impose new sanctions against Russia. It is a “comprehensive sanctions package” that the US government will announce on Friday, US National Security Council communications director John Kirby announced on Tuesday. The measure is a reaction to both Navalny's death and the two-year-old war of Russian aggression in Ukraine.