The Russian critic that Vladimir Putin feared most is dead.
Quoting prison officials, Russian state media is reporting that opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died. Navalny was the leading voice against centuries of systemic Russian corruption.
Navalny's demise leaves Putin's opponents leaderless. It comes as Putin's grinding invasion of Ukraine has created one of the most significant geopolitical risks of the 21st century.
As The New York Times reports:
Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement that Mr. Navalny, 47, had lost consciousness and died after taking a walk on Friday in the Arctic prison where he was moved late last year.
“The facility's medical staff immediately arrived and an ambulance brigade was called,” the penitentiary service's statement said. “All necessary resuscitation measures were taken, which did not lead to positive results. The ambulance doctors confirmed the death of the convict.”
Mr. Putin's spokesman said that the death had been reported to Mr. Putin, according to the Tass state news service.
Mr. Navalny's spokeswoman said on social media that his team could not immediately confirm his death.
“We don't have any confirmation of this yet,” spokesperson Kira Yarmysh told reporters, explaining that a lawyer was en route to the remote prison. “As soon as we have any information, we will report it.”
In 2022, Navalny was sentenced to a maximum-security prison on extremism charges. Most believe that the charges against him were politically motivated to sabotage his movement.
Navalny returned to Russia despite nearly dying after being poisoned with a synthetic nerve agent derived from a class of Soviet-era chemical weapons. Western intelligence agencies concluded that only the Kremlin would have access to such a potent weapon.
A nerve agent from the same class was used in an attempted assassination of an ex-Soviet spy in 2018.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
READ NEXT: Fani Willis' Fmr. Assistant Drops Courtroom Bombshell
