Navalny's team has repeatedly accused the Kremlin of doing everything in its power to eliminate President Vladimir Putin's most important opponent. The warnings were ignored and, according to the prison administration, Navalny died in the penal colony in the Arctic region where he had been detained since the previous year.
It is obvious that Navalny was killed by Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press appearance in Berlin. Putin doesn't care who dies, he only cares about maintaining power. “It's obvious to me: he was killed. Just like thousands of others who were tortured to death because of this one person.” The Russian head of state must “pay for his crimes”.
“The EU holds the Russian regime solely responsible”
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reacted “deeply disturbed and saddened”. A grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are up to,” von der Leyen wrote in “Let us fight together to protect the freedom and security of those who dare to defend against autocracy,” von der Leyen said.
Navalny made “the ultimate sacrifice for his ideals,” EU Council President Charles Michel said on X on Friday. “The EU holds the Russian regime solely responsible for this tragic death,” he said. “Fighters die,” said Michel, but the fight for freedom never ends.
Kremlin critic Navalny is dead
Prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is dead, the FSIN prison administration announced on Friday. He died in the Russian polar region penal colony, authorities said. The reasons for his death are being investigated, he said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also blamed Russian leadership. Navalny's deaths demonstrate the “weakness and rot” of the system built by Putin, he said in Munich, where the security conference is taking place. “If these reports are accurate, our condolences go first and foremost to his wife and family,” Blinken added.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted “deeply affected and concerned” and harshly criticized Russian President Waldimir Putin. “What we have seen is that Russia has become an increasingly authoritarian power and has repressed opposition for many years,” he said. This is precisely why Russia must answer all the questions that are now being asked. Stoltenberg declined to comment on whether Navalny's death could be related to the upcoming presidential elections in March.
Request an independent investigation
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen reacted “shocked”, as he wrote in X. Putin “and his murderous regime are responsible for this”, said Van der Bellen, who also offered condolences to Navalny's family.
I am devastated by the news of Aleksei Navalny's death. Vladimir Putin and his murderous regime are responsible for this. (1/2)
-A. Van der Bellen (@vanderbellen) February 16, 2024
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) praised Navalny, who died as a political prisoner, on Friday as a “champion of a more open and democratic Russia” and called for a “thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances of his death”. Unlike other international politicians, Schallenberg refrained from explicitly blaming the Kremlin. But Navalny's death just before the elections “reminds us once again how unfree and undemocratic Russia is under Putin's leadership,” Schallenberg said.
APA/AFP/Vasily Maximov Navalny leaves behind his wife and campaign colleague Julia and two children
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was equally shocked. “This is terrible news,” Sunak said. As the fiercest defender of Russian democracy, Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life. French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne described Navalny as a victim of the resistance.
Navalny “paid with his life”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Navalny's death depressing. The fact that he came back to Russia was very brave. Now he “paid for that courage with his life,” Scholz said in Berlin. We now know exactly what kind of regime is in power in Moscow. Russia is “no longer a democracy”. In Berlin, protesters gathered outside the Russian embassy on Friday, shortly after news of Navalny's death broke. Many carried posters with a photo of Navalny, others carried flags or banners, one of which read: “Putin is a murderer.”
The Latvian head of state made it clear: “Regardless of what one thinks about Alexei Navalny as a politician, he was simply brutally murdered by the Kremlin,” Rinkevics said about should.” His condolences go out to Navalny's family and friends. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for consequences for those responsible. These must be “brought to justice”, he wrote in X.
Whatever your thoughts about Alexey @Navalny as a politician, he was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin. That is a fact and it is something we should know about the true nature of Russia's current regime. My condolences to family and friends.
– Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) February 16, 2024
Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitri Muratov also spoke out and called Navalny's death a “murder.” The journalist told Portal news agency he believed prison conditions led to Navalny's death.
Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin, who was recently barred from running for president, paid tribute to Navalny. He was “one of the most talented and courageous people in Russia,” the Telegram said.
“My heart is now with the family of Alexei Navalny, who is a hero and symbol for all Russian democrats,” state news agency PAP said, citing Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. Navalny was convicted of false accusations in a trial. “He was sent to prison, where he lived in terrible conditions,” Sikorski said. “Vladimir Putin is responsible for all of this.”
Russia: “Self-exposed” accusations
The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the allegations as “self-revealing”. Although forensic medical results on Navalny's death are not yet available, the West has already drawn its own conclusions, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram.