The wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has said he was killed by poisoning while serving a prison sentence in an Arctic penal colony in 2024. In a video shared on social media, Yulia Navalnaya said analysis of smuggled biological samples carried out by laboratories in two countries showed that her husband had been 'murdered'. She did not provide details on the poison allegedly used, on the samples or on the analysis – but challenged the two laboratories to publish their results. Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia's most vociferous opposition leader - died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.
In 2020 he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He underwent treatment in Germany, and was arrested at the airport upon his return to Russia. At the time of his death he had been in jail for three years on trumped-up charges and had recently been transferred to a penal colony in the Arctic Circle. Navalny's supporters and colleagues at his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) have always maintained the Russian government was involved in his demise.
Navalnaya stated that after her husband's death, his team were able to secure biological samples and that laboratories in different countries had concluded he had been poisoned. However, she implied that they were not making their findings public due to 'political considerations'. Stating 'They don't want an inconvenient truth to surface at the wrong time,' she further argued that despite facing resistance, she has moral grounds to pursue the case for justice.
The video also detailed the final days of Navalny’s life, with alleged testimonies from penal colony employees about his last moments. She claimed he became ill after a day out of his cell, experiencing severe convulsions and vomiting, while prison guards observed without providing timely medical assistance. The aftermath has seen the Kremlin avoid addressing Navalnaya's allegations, while several of Navalny's associates have faced arrest or exile, fearing reprisals under the current regime.
In both life and death, Navalny maintained significant public support, evidenced by the thousands who attended his funeral, despite warnings from authorities. The case continues to add strain on Russian civil society, where dissent is increasingly met with suppression.
In 2020 he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He underwent treatment in Germany, and was arrested at the airport upon his return to Russia. At the time of his death he had been in jail for three years on trumped-up charges and had recently been transferred to a penal colony in the Arctic Circle. Navalny's supporters and colleagues at his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) have always maintained the Russian government was involved in his demise.
Navalnaya stated that after her husband's death, his team were able to secure biological samples and that laboratories in different countries had concluded he had been poisoned. However, she implied that they were not making their findings public due to 'political considerations'. Stating 'They don't want an inconvenient truth to surface at the wrong time,' she further argued that despite facing resistance, she has moral grounds to pursue the case for justice.
The video also detailed the final days of Navalny’s life, with alleged testimonies from penal colony employees about his last moments. She claimed he became ill after a day out of his cell, experiencing severe convulsions and vomiting, while prison guards observed without providing timely medical assistance. The aftermath has seen the Kremlin avoid addressing Navalnaya's allegations, while several of Navalny's associates have faced arrest or exile, fearing reprisals under the current regime.
In both life and death, Navalny maintained significant public support, evidenced by the thousands who attended his funeral, despite warnings from authorities. The case continues to add strain on Russian civil society, where dissent is increasingly met with suppression.
