U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington does not know exactly what happened, “but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something Putin and his thugs did.” Navalny “could have lived safely in exile,” but instead returned to Russia to “continue his work,” despite knowing he could be imprisoned or killed “because he believe so deeply in his country, in Russia.”
Quick Read
- Biden’s Reaction: President Joe Biden expressed outrage and lack of surprise over the death of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian opposition figure and critic of Vladimir Putin.
- Navalny’s Death Announcement: Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service reported Navalny’s death in prison, stating he lost consciousness after a walk but did not provide a cause of death.
- Putin’s Responsibility: Biden directly attributed responsibility for Navalny’s death to Putin, despite the lack of detailed information about the circumstances.
- Skepticism Towards Russian Reports: While expressing uncertainty about the exact events leading to Navalny’s death, Biden indicated there was no reason to doubt the Russian claims.
- Criticism of Putin’s Brutality: Biden highlighted Navalny’s death as further evidence of Putin’s harsh treatment of his critics, both within Russia and internationally.
- Navalny’s Legacy: Biden praised Navalny’s courage and commitment to a lawful and fair Russia, contrasting these qualities with those of Putin.
- Global Reaction: The reported death of Alexei Navalny sparked immediate condemnation from world leaders and Russian opposition activists, attributing it to President Vladimir Putin and his government.
- International Mourning: In Belgrade and Tbilisi, among other places, Russians living abroad and locals gathered to honor Navalny, expressing their grief and anger towards the Kremlin.
- Accusations of Murder: Prominent figures like Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Dmitry Gudkov, Garry Kasparov, and Pyotr Verzilov accused Putin of being directly responsible for Navalny’s death, labeling it as murder.
- EU and NATO Statements: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg highlighted Navalny’s death as a stark indicator of Putin’s fear of dissent and called for accountability from Russia.
- Western Leaders’ Condemnation: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov emphasized Navalny’s role in fighting for democracy and freedom, holding Putin accountable for his death.
- Russian Official Response: Russian officials like Sergei Mironov and Maria Zakharova suggested that Navalny’s death could be exploited by Russia’s adversaries and criticized the immediate Western accusations against Russia.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden on Navalny’s death: ‘Make no mistake, Putin is responsible’
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP)
President Joe Biden said Friday he was “not surprised” and “outraged” by reports of the death of Alexei Navalny, the longtime Russian opposition politician and critic of Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service announced Navalny died in prison. The service claimed Navalny, 47, lost consciousness after a walk but gave no official cause of death.
“Russian authorities are going to tell their own story,” Biden said from the White House. “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”
Biden said while the U.S. is not yet sure exactly what happened, there was no reason to believe the reports out of Russia weren’t true.
“What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality,” the president said. “No one should be fooled, not in Russia, not at home, not anywhere in the world. Putin does not only target his citizens of other countries, as we’ve seen in what’s going on in Ukraine right now, he also inflicts terrible crimes on his own people.”
Biden commended Navalny for speaking up against Putin’s regime despite the consequences, which included being imprisoned on trumped charges and an assassination attempt in 2020.
“As people across Russia and around the world are mourning Navalny today, because he was so many things that Putin was not,” Biden said. “He was brave. He was principled. He was dedicated to building a Russia where the rule of law existed and where it applied to everybody.”
World leaders and Russian opposition activists wasted no time Friday in blaming the reported death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on President Vladimir Putin and his government.
Navalny’s death also led to an outpouring of grief among Russians living abroad.
In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, hundreds of Russians and others lit candles and laid flowers outside the Russian embassy. Tens of thousands of Russians have moved to Serbia, a fellow Slavic country, since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
Dozens also gathered outside of the Russian embassy in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, which has also seen a huge influx of Russians since the invasion of Ukraine. Some held banners saying “Putin is the killer” and “We will not forgive.” Up to 300 people attended a similar rally in Georgia’s third-largest city, Batumi.
The outpouring of sympathy for Navalny’s family and outrage at the Kremlin, which in recent years mounted an unprecedented crackdown on dissent, came from all over the world.
“If this is true, then no matter the formal cause, the responsibility for the premature death is Vladimir Putin personally, who first gave the green light to the poisoning of Alexei and then put him in prison,” said Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an exiled Russia tycoon turned opposition figure in exile, in an online statement.
Other Russian opposition activists echoed him.
“If it is confirmed, the death of Alexei is a murder. Organized by Putin,” opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov said on social media. “Even if Alexei died of ‘natural’ causes, those were triggered by his poisoning and further torture in prison.”
Former world chess champion-turned-Kremlin opponent Garry Kasparov said “Putin tried and failed to murder Navalny quickly and secretly with poison, and now he has murdered him slowly and publicly in prison.”
“He was killed for exposing Putin and his mafia as the crooks and thieves they are,” tweeted Kasparov, who lives abroad.
Pyotr Verzilov, a prominent member of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot, said “Navalny was murdered in prison.” In a post on X, Verzilov added: “We will definitely take revenge and destroy this regime.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Navalny’s death showed that “Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people.”
She called it “a grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about,” and added it should provide impetus to “unite in our fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of those who dare to stand up against autocracy.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the fact that Navalny was a prisoner “makes it extremely important that Russia now answer all the questions that it will be asked about the cause of death.”
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron echoed her remarks, saying “Putin’s Russia imprisoned him, trumped up charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an Arctic penal colony and now he has tragically died. And we should hold Putin accountable for this.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the news had Canadians “reeling.”
“He was such a strong fighter for democracy, for freedoms, for the Russian people. It really shows the extent to which Putin will crack down on anyone who is fighting for freedom for the Russian people,” he said.
“There is no question that Alexei Navalny is dead because he stood up to Putin, he stood up to the Kremlin,” Trudeau added.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said Navalny was for years “a symbol of the fight against the dictatorship in Russia, of the fight for free speech, of the fact that a person cannot be imprisoned for a different opinion.”
Russian lawmakers and other officials bristled at the Western outrage.
Sergei Mironov, head of a pro-Kremlin party, said Navalny’s death helps Russia’s foes.
“Of course, health issues could have been the cause of death. But in any case, a premature death of a notorious ‘opposition figure’, especially a month before the presidential election, is beneficial first and foremost to Russia’s enemies,” Mironov said in an online statement. “They will use it to the maximum to pressure us from the outside and to rock with situation within the country.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said “the immediate reaction of NATO leaders to Navalny’s death in the form of direct accusations against Russia is self-exposing.”
The death was still being investigated, but “the West’s conclusions are already ready,” she said.
