Moscow | AFP
Vladimir Putin's main opposition politician Alexei Navalni said on social media on Tuesday (26) that he was doing well after being transferred to a prison in the Arctic. He had been missing since the beginning of December.
The transfer trip to the new prison took 20 days and was “quite strenuous,” Navalni wrote on the social network X.
“I'm still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus,” he added, referring to the beard he grew during the trip and the clothes he has to wear and those on the harsh winter with polar temperatures is adapted.
“Do not worry about me. I'm doing well. I’m completely relieved that I’m finally here.”
Navalni's relatives announced on Monday (25) that they had located him in a penal colony in Charp in the YamalNenets region, a remote area in northern Russia, 235 kilometers east of Moscow.
Navaln, an anticorruption activist and major enemy of President Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19year prison sentence for “extremism.” The 47yearold opponent was arrested in January 2021 upon his return to Russia after recovering in Germany from what he said was a poisoning planned by the Kremlin.
Navalni disappeared from the prison colony in the Vladimir region, 250 kilometers from Moscow, at the beginning of December.
He stated that he arrived at Kharp Penal Colony on Saturday evening (23), after a discreet and organized trip with an itinerary “so strange” that he did not expect to be found by his family before midJanuary.
“I was surprised yesterday when they opened the cell door and said, 'Here is a lawyer for you,'” Navalni said. Putin's opponent had a meeting with his lawyer.
Navalni said he saw little of the area except for a snowcovered side cell and a fence outside his window. “Unfortunately there are no reindeer, but there are huge, fluffy and very beautiful sheepdogs,” he added.
The prison where Navalni is being held, known as the “Arctic Wolf,” is considered one of the strictest prisons in Russia, with most prisoners convicted of serious crimes. Furthermore, the winter there is severe and temperatures could reach 28°C next week.
About 60 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of the former Soviet forced labor camp system, the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reported.
“The conditions there are harsh, especially because of the permafrost [espessa camada de solo congelado]” said Leonid Volkov, Navalni's adviser, who said it was still difficult to communicate with prisoners there.