Alexei Navalny, the most fearsome domestic opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, reportedly lost consciousness and died on Friday at the Arctic penal colony Polar Wolf, according to authorities.
Former lawyer and Russian opposition figure Navalny, serving a thirty-year sentence, passes away as Putin prepares for an election that will ensure his rule until 2030 or beyond, depriving the opposition of its most prominent leader.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed outrage and criticized Russia for the death of Sergey Navalny, attributing it to “something that Putin and his thugs did.”
The widow of Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, told Western leaders, diplomats, and officials in Munich on Friday that Putin and his allies would be held accountable “for what they did to our nation, my family, and my spouse.”
Yulia Navalnaya joins EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.
Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell declared Navalnaya’s visit on Monday, stating that the gathering would honor the memory of Alexei Navalny and demonstrate support for freedom fighters in Russia.
Alexei Navalny became famous over a decade ago by documenting and criticizing Putin’s “crooks and thieves” for their corruption and opulence.
