Alexei Navalny death: Putin critic dies in Russian prison as Kremlin accused of ‘brutal murder’ – latest

A resurfaced video clip shows Mr Navalny tricking a spy into revealing how he was poisoned:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has placed blame for the death squarely on the shoulders of Russian president Vladimir Putin, leading a string of world leaders who have reacted in horror to the news.

Another high-profile Vladimir Putin critic, former chess champion-turned-political activist Garry Kasparov, said the Russian president had tried to poison Mr Navalny.

“Putin tried and failed to murder Navalny quickly and secretly with poison, and now he has murdered him slowly and publicly in prison,” he wrote on social media.

“He was killed for exposing Putin and his mafia as the crooks and thieves they are. My thoughts are with the brave man’s wife and children.”

The mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was quoted by a Russian newspaper as saying her son had been alive, healthy and happy when she last saw him on Monday.

Novaya Gazeta reported that Lyudmila Navalnaya wrote in a Facebook post: “I don’t want to hear any condolences. We saw him in prison on the (Feb) 12, in a meeting. He was alive, healthy and happy.”

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said that Alexei Navalny’s reported death “underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built”.

He said: “Russia’s responsible for this. We’ll be talking to the many other countries concerned about Alexei Navalny, especially if these reports turn out to be true.”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has urged the government to sanction all those on the Navalny List.

He said: “I am horrified by reports of the death of Alexei Navalny – at the hands of Putin, no doubt.

“Putin’s despicable methods might be to kill his enemies, but he will never kill the light of freedom and democracy which Navalny has stood for so courageously.

“The UK government still hasn’t sanctioned all those named on the Navalny List, three years on from him being sentenced to prison. Nearly 1 in 5 of those named on the list remain unsanctioned. We must do so immediately.”

Speaking to The Independent, Bill Browder – a Putin critic who has felt the threat from the Kremlin himself – said: “Let’s make no mistake, Putin assassinated Alexei Navalny.

“He did so because Alexei Navalny was brave enough to stand up to Putin. He did so because Navalny offered the Russian people and alternative to kleptocracy and repression. This is a tragic day for Navalny and his family but also for Russia and the hope for a better future.”

Rishi Sunak described the reported death of Alexei Navalny as “terrible news”, adding: “As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.”

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the news.

“We need to establish all the facts, and Russia needs to answer all the serious questions about the circumstances of his death,” he warned.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky went further, saying it was “obvious” Vladimir Putin was directly behind the death.

Our politics and Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has full report here:

Responding to the Russian authorities’ announcement that Alexei Navalny has died in prison, the Kremlin critic’s chief of staff said: “We have no reason to believe state propaganda.

“If this is true, then it is not ‘Navalny died’, but ‘Putin killed Navalny’ and only that.

“But I don’t trust them one penny.”

And his spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said: “We don’t have any confirmation of this yet. Alexei’s lawyer is now flying to Kharp. As soon as we have any information, we will report it.”