The death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has once again sparked global attention. Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya publicly stated on Wednesday (September 18) that the test results from two foreign laboratories both showed that her husband was poisoned while in prison.
Navalny was a major political opponent of Vladimir Putin, exposing official corruption and organizing large-scale anti-Putin protests. Navalny claimed that he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for political reasons and passed away in February 2024 at the age of 47 while serving his sentence in a prison in the Arctic.
Official explanations regarding Navalny’s cause of death have been minimal, stating that he felt unwell after a walk and died of sudden heart failure. However, Yulia Navalnaya’s latest statements sharply contradict the Russian official version, prompting strong calls from Western countries for a transparent investigation.
In a video statement, Yulia mentioned that biological samples of the deceased were sent outside of Russia for testing in two different countries, both of which concluded that Navalny was “poisoned.” However, details such as the specific poison, toxin concentration, timing, and method of poisoning have not been publicly disclosed. These laboratories have not released complete testing reports for various reasons.
Yulia stated, “The two laboratories in different countries have reached the same conclusion: Alexei was killed, to be more precise, he was poisoned.”
In the video, Yulia refuted the official cause of death provided by Russia, pointing out that Navalny had no history of heart disease and did not exhibit the symptoms described by officials. She questioned the harsh conditions in prison and whether there were surveillance recordings, presenting a photo of the cell with what appeared to be vomit on the floor on the day Navalny passed away.
She urged the laboratories to release the results of their reports, emphasizing the importance of not remaining silent due to political pressure or diplomatic considerations. She criticized that “appeasing Putin in this manner is ineffective; staying silent will not stop Putin.”
Yulia has repeatedly blamed Putin for Navalny’s death, but the Russian authorities firmly deny any involvement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated at a press conference on Wednesday that he was unaware of Navalny’s widow’s statements and could not comment on the matter.
However, the international community has criticized Russia’s opaque handling of the situation and expressed concern about the evidence presented by the widow. The French government stated on Wednesday that “the Russian authorities should take full responsibility and continue to demand a thorough investigation into the tragic death of Navalny.”
Russia’s previous explanation for Navalny’s death was a combination of “several different diseases” ultimately leading to arrhythmia and death.
Navalny was poisoned in 2020 while on a domestic flight within Russia. He fell ill suddenly, and two days later, still in a coma, he was taken to Berlin for treatment. Test results from laboratories in Germany, France, and Sweden, as well as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), confirmed that he was exposed to the Soviet-era nerve agent “Novichok.”
Russian authorities have denied any connection to the events of 2020. Navalny, on the other hand, claimed that the official explanations were false.
(Reference: BBC, The Associated Press)