In an apparent attempt by the Kremlin to calm global indignation at the demise of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin's political nemesis, Russia's intelligence chief said Navalny died of natural causes.
According to The Associated Press, the assertion was made by Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's main espionage agency, the Foreign Intelligence Service, in an interview broadcast by Russian state television. Neither the circumstances nor the reason for Navalny's death in an isolated Arctic prison camp were mentioned by him.
"Sooner or later life ends and people die. Navalny has died of natural causes," he said.
Died in Prison
While serving a 19-year term for extremism, Navalny passed away on February 16 in Penal Colony No. 3 in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region, which is about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.
Many Western politicians have placed the blame on Putin for his untimely death at the age of 47, but the Kremlin has fiercely denied the claim. Russian officials have yet to disclose the reason for his death.
After hours of arguing with officials on the need for postmortem testing, Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, finally succeeded in having her son's remains released. She pleaded with Putin in a video message, asking that he allow her to properly bury her son.
Laid to Rest
Thousands of mourners, accompanied by a significant police presence, flocked to a Moscow suburb on Friday, March 1, for Navalny's burial. According to his team, many Moscow churches declined to host the funeral.
Many videos showed a long line of people heading to the cemetery, but they were unable to enter until the tomb was shut, and only then could they lay flowers.
Reportedly, protesters were heard shouting, "No to war," "Russia without Putin," and "Russia will be free."
After a period of recovery in Germany from nerve agent poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin, Navalny returned to Moscow in January 2021, where he was almost immediately arrested. The Russian authorities labeled his regional offices and the Foundation for Fighting Corruption as "extremist organizations" in the same year.
