Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died Friday at the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia’s federal penitentiary service said.
Mr Navalny lost consciousness after going for a walk and could not be revived by medics, the prison service said.
‘Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called,’ it said.
‘Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established.’ it added.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into his death.
Navalny’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh said his team had not been informed of his death.
‘Alexei’s lawyer is now flying to Kharp, where his prison colony is,’ she said in a post on social media.
Citing his spokesman, Russian news agencies reported that President Vladimir Putin had been informed of Navalny’s death.
Mr Navalny, 47, was Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, and his vocal criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin’s Russia gained him a large following among the masses.
His videos racked up millions of views and brought ordinary Russians to the streets, despite the country’s harsh anti-protests laws.
Mr Navalny returned to Russia from Germany, where he was recuperating from an alleged poisoning attack with a Soviet-era nerve agent. He was jailed upon his return, having been sentenced to 19 years in prison on a string of charges.
Independent rights groups condemned Mr Navalny’s arrest, as the West saw it as retribution for his anti-establishment views.
Mr Navalny was moved to a remote Arctic prison colony in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets region in northern Siberia, in December 2023.
The last post on Navalny’s Telegram channel, made through his lawyers and team in exile, was a tribute to his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, posted on Valentine’s Day.
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