Alexei Navalny's Wife Says Tests Show Her Husband Was Poisoned
The wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Wednesday that laboratory analysis of smuggled biological samples found he was killed by poisoning while incarcerated at an Arctic prison in February 2024.
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Allies of Alexei Navalny claim he was murdered while in prison. (File)
On Wednesday, the wife of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny announced that laboratory analysis of covertly obtained biological samples revealed he was killed by poisoning during his imprisonment in an Arctic facility in February 2024.
For years, Navalny stood as President Vladimir Putin's most significant critic, before dying under mysterious circumstances while serving a 19-year sentence on charges widely considered to be retribution for his opposition activities.
The persuasive anti-corruption activist had mobilized hundreds of thousands across Russia in demonstrations against the Kremlin, exposing alleged illicit wealth accumulation among Putin's close associates.
His supporters assert he was murdered while incarcerated, and Moscow has never provided a complete explanation for his death, only stating that he became ill while walking in the prison yard on February 16, 2024.
Yulia Navalnaya, his wife, stated that prior to his burial, his allies "were able to obtain and securely transfer biological samples of Alexei abroad".
"Laboratories in two countries concluded that Alexei was killed. Specifically: poisoned," she revealed in a video shared on social media platforms.
She did not disclose details about the samples obtained or the analysis results, but urged the laboratories to independently publish their findings and specify which poison they believe was used.
Navalnaya also released unverified images allegedly showing his prison cell after his body was removed, depicting vomit on the floor, and claimed that prison officials' testimony indicated he had been experiencing convulsions on the floor.
When questioned about these allegations during a daily press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment.
'Murder'
Previously, Navalny had survived poisoning with a Novichok-type nerve agent in 2020 while campaigning in Siberia. He was evacuated to Germany for emergency treatment, where he spent months recovering.
Upon returning to Russia in January 2021, he was imprisoned and subsequently convicted on various charges, including "extremism".
From prison, he continued his campaign against Putin and voiced opposition to the Ukraine invasion.
Russian authorities reported that he died suddenly after becoming ill while walking outside following lunch at his prison colony.
After Navalny's death, officials withheld his body from his relatives for days, raising suspicions among his supporters.
Navalnaya has consistently maintained that her husband was killed on Putin's orders, an accusation she reiterated Wednesday.
"Vladimir Putin is guilty of the murder of my husband, Alexei Navalny," she stated.
The Kremlin denies these allegations.
Even after his death, authorities intensified their crackdown against his allies and opponents, adding Navalnaya to a "terrorists and extremists" blacklist and sentencing his lawyers and journalists who covered his court cases to prison terms.
Most of his family members and key supporters have long resided abroad.
The Russian opposition, hampered by internal conflicts, has struggled to maintain relevance in exile following Navalny's death.
Public expressions of opposition to Putin within Russia have become extremely rare since the Ukraine invasion in February 2022.
The Kremlin implemented military censorship, increased targeting of dissenters and critics, and effectively prohibited criticism of both the Kremlin and the invasion.