In Russia, a staggering 400 individuals found themselves apprehended while commemorating the late opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, who met his demise in a secluded Arctic penal colony, as reported by a distinguished human rights organization on Sunday. Navalny’s abrupt death, at the age of 47, dealt a severe blow to numerous Russians who had vested their aspirations for the future in President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable adversary. Despite surviving a nerve agent poisoning and enduring multiple incarcerations, Navalny continued his unwavering criticism of the Kremlin.
The global reverberations of the news implicated President Vladimir Putin and his government, with many world leaders attributing Navalny’s demise to them. President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters after leaving a Saturday church service, reiterated his belief that Putin bore ultimate responsibility for Navalny’s death. Biden asserted, “The fact of the matter is, Putin is responsible. Whether he ordered it, he’s responsible for the circumstance. It’s a reflection of who he is. It cannot be tolerated.”
Simultaneously, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s spouse, shared a photograph of the couple on Instagram in her first social media post since his passing. The caption succinctly expressed, “I love you.” Across numerous Russian cities, hundreds gathered at impromptu memorials and monuments dedicated to victims of political repression, adorning them with flowers and candles on both Friday and Saturday to honor the departed politician. By Saturday night, 401 individuals had been detained by the police in over a dozen cities, as reported by the OVD-Info rights group specializing in monitoring political arrests and offering legal assistance.
St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, witnessed over 200 arrests, including Grigory Mikhnov-Voitenko, a priest of the Apostolic Orthodox Church, an independent religious group not affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. Mikhnov-Voitenko, who announced plans on social media to conduct a memorial service for Navalny, was apprehended on Saturday morning outside his residence. Initially charged with organizing a rally, he was later hospitalized due to a stroke, as reported by OVD-Info. St. Petersburg courts subsequently sentenced 42 of those detained on Friday to serve one to six days in jail, with nine others fined. In Moscow, at least six individuals received orders to serve 15 days in jail, according to OVD-Info. Additionally, one person was jailed in Krasnodar, and two more in Bryansk, according to the group.
Navalny’s demise occurred a month before Russia’s presidential election, widely anticipated to secure another six-year term for President Vladimir Putin. Lingering uncertainties regarding the cause of death persisted, with no indication of when authorities would release Navalny’s body. Over 12,000 requests have been submitted to the Russian government seeking the handover of the politician’s remains to his family, as per OVD-Info on Sunday.
Navalny’s team asserted on Saturday that foul play was involved in his death, accusing the authorities of intentionally delaying the release of the body. Contradictory information was provided to Navalny’s mother and lawyers as they sought to retrieve the body, leading to frustration. Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, stated, “They’re driving us around in circles and covering their tracks.”
Every aspect within the colony is under surveillance, with cameras capturing every move Navalny made over the years. Despite this, no videos have surfaced or been published in the two days following his death, as highlighted by Navalny’s closest ally, Leonid Volkov, on Sunday.
According to Yarmysh, a note handed to Navalny’s mother indicated his death at 2:17 p.m. on Friday. Prison officials informed her on Saturday that her son succumbed to sudden death syndrome at the penal colony in Kharp, located 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow. An ambulance arrived, but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. The cause of death is yet to be determined, as stated by Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service.
Navalny had been incarcerated since January 2021, following his return to Moscow after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning attributed to the Kremlin. Having received three prison terms on charges he denounced as politically motivated, Navalny expressed his understanding that he was serving a de facto life sentence, measured by the duration of his life or the regime’s longevity.
Hours after Navalny’s demise was reported, his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, made a poignant appearance at the Munich Security Conference. Expressing uncertainty about the news from official Russian sources, she conveyed a warning: “If this is true, I want Putin and everyone around Putin, Putin’s friends, his government to know that they will bear responsibility for what they did to our country, to my family, and to my husband.”
