World Leaders React to Alexei Navalny Death: Outrage, Concern, Skepticism Among International Tone

World leaders have reacted to the news of the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny; most of them are attending the Munich Security Conference this weekend.

Statements from Inside Russia

According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin was told about Navalny's death. At the same time, the country's investigative committee said it would launch a procedural probe into his demise.

Navalny's aide Leonid Volkov said that he was unable to confirm if he died. "Navalny's lawyer is on the way to [Kharp]," he wrote on X, the social media platform formerly Twitter.

Ivan Zhdanov, Navalny's political second, said that his ally's relatives should have been notified of his death within 24 hours, but no notifications have been made.

Nobel Prize awardee and Russian newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov told Reuters that Navalny's death was a "murder," with the prison conditions factoring significantly into his death.

Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, was quoted by the Russian Daily Novaya Gazeta saying that she still saw her son alive last Feb. 12.

"I don't want to hear any condolences," she allegedly said. "We saw him in prison ... in a meeting. He was alive, healthy and happy."

However, Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who was present in Munich, said in her speech that the Putin regime would pay for their crimes if the death of her husband is confirmed.

The Guardian also invited people in Russia and the Russian diaspora, primarily due to Putin's crackdown on dissenters, to share their reaction to Navalny's death.

Western Condolences

Meanwhile, many world leaders from the West also made their sentiments known.

In her keynote speech at the Munich Security Conference, US Vice President Kamala Harris denounced the Putin regime, saying that Russia must be held accountable for Navalny's death.

"This is, of course, terrible news, which we are working to confirm," she said in her address. "And if confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin's brutality. Whatever story they tell, let us be clear: Russia is responsible."

Harris also sent her condolences to Navalnaya.

Speaking from Munich, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he would be talking to other world leaders concerned about Navalny's death.

"First and foremost, if these reports are accurate, our hearts go out to his wife and his family," he told reporters. "Beyond that, his death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this."

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told NPR that Navalny's death - if confirmed - was a "terrible tragedy."

"[G]iven the Russian government's long and sordid history of doing harm to its opponents, it raises real and obvious questions about what happened here," he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the Putin regime killed Navalny.

"It is obvious: he was killed by Putin, as thousands of others were tortured and martyred by this one 'creature,'" he told reporters in Munich. "Putin does not care who dies as long as he keeps his position. And that is why he should not keep anything. Putin should lose everything and answer for what he has done."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that he was "deeply saddened and disturbed" by reports of the fallen Russian opposition leader.

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

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also wrote on X, calling Navalny's death a "terrible news." "As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life," he added. "My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy."

Other European leaders, such as Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, Sweden's Ulf Kristersson, the Netherlands' Mark Rutte, and Belgium's Alexander de Croo, echoed Sunak's sentiments.

One of the first world leaders to respond to Navalny's reported death was Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics.

"Whatever your thoughts about Alexey Navalny as [a] politician, he was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin," he wrote on X. "That's a fact and that is something one should know about the true nature of Russia's current regime. My condolences to the family and friends."

Tags

Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir putin, Moscow, Kamala Harris, Munich