Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition leader in Russia passed away in a prison located inside the Arctic Circle, according to the prison service, while serving a 19-year jail term.
Navalny was moved to an Arctic penal colony, known for its severe conditions, late last year.
The prison service in the Yamalo-Nenets district reported that Navalny had “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday, subsequently losing consciousness.
“On February 16, 2024, Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness,” the prison service for the Yamalo-Nenets region, where Navalny was moved, said in a statement on its website.
Despite the efforts of an emergency medical team to resuscitate him, Navalny was pronounced dead, with the cause of death yet to be established.
“The facility’s medical workers immediately arrived at the scene and an emergency medical team was called in.
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“All necessary resuscitation measures have been carried out, but they did not yield positive results,” they stated.
There was no immediate information about what exactly caused Navalny’s death, with the region’s investigative committee saying it has launched a “procedural investigation.
Russia Greatest Opposition Leader
He was born in 1976 in the tiny town of Bytyn, near Moscow, and educated as a lawyer and economist.
In his political career, he ventured into politics in 2008, starting his anti-corruption fund, FBK, three years later.
Navalny’s untimely demise has sparked international condemnation, with many hailing his courage in standing up against Russian authorities.
France characterized his death as a consequence of resisting Russian “oppression,” while Norway emphasized the responsibility of Russian authorities for the tragedy.
Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, barely acknowledged that Navalny’s death had been “reported to the president.”
In August 2020, he survived an assassination attempt with a nerve agent, which he blamed to Putin’s regime.
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Assassination Attempts
Despite the danger, Navalny returned to Russia in January 2021 after medical treatment in Germany, only to be immediately detained upon arrival.
His imprisonment prevented him from challenging Putin in the political arena, further limiting opposition voices in Russia.
Moreover, Navalny’s aspirations for electoral participation were repeatedly thwarted by authorities.
He was barred from running in the 2018 presidential election, and other opposition candidates faced similar obstacles.
