Russia’s prominent opposition figure of the past decade, Alexei Navalny, has passed away in prison located within the Arctic Circle, as confirmed by the prison service.
Navalny, recognized as President Vladimir Putin’s most outspoken critic, was serving a 19-year prison sentence for charges widely perceived as politically motivated. His transfer to an Arctic penal colony, known for its stringent conditions, occurred late last year.
The prison service in the Yamalo-Nenets district reported that Navalny had suddenly fallen ill after a walk on Friday. According to their statement, he rapidly lost consciousness, prompting an immediate response from the medical team on site. Despite their efforts to resuscitate him, they were unsuccessful.
The prison service declared Navalny’s passing, stating that the cause of death is currently under investigation.
Navalny’s lawyer, Leonid Solovyov, refrained from providing comments to Russian media at this time.
