The wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has said he was killed by poisoning while serving a prison sentence in an Arctic penal colony in 2024.
In a video shared on social media, Yulia Navalnaya said analysis of smuggled biological samples carried out by laboratories in two countries showed that her husband had been 'murdered'.
She did not provide details on the poison allegedly used, on the samples or on the analysis – but challenged the two laboratories to publish their results.
Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia's most vociferous opposition leader - died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.
In 2020, he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent and underwent treatment in Germany; he was arrested upon returning to Russia.
At the time of his death, he had been incarcerated for three years on what many believe to be trumped-up charges, and had recently been transferred to a penal colony in the Arctic Circle.
Navalny's supporters assert that the Russian government was behind his demise. Navalnaya explained that after her husband's death, his team managed to obtain and securely transfer biological samples to foreign labs, which ultimately concluded he had been poisoned.
However, she did not disclose the laboratories' locations, hinting that findings might not be made public due to 'political considerations'. They don't want an inconvenient truth to surface at the wrong time, she said.
Navalnaya underscored the lack of support she's faced in legally pursuing inquiries into her husband's passing: You are the wife, of course, but there is no criminal case, there are no legal grounds to hand documents to you. But I have grounds. Not legal, but moral grounds.
She stated that Navalny had been her husband, friend and closest person – and 'a symbol of hope for a better future for our country'. During a touching address, she affirmed her belief that President Vladimir Putin was responsible for her husband's death, urging labs to make their findings public.
In response to Navalnaya's accusations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated he was unaware of her remarks.
Navalnaya also recounted the harrowing details of her husband's last moments, claiming he experienced horrific suffering while in custody, which was dismissed by prison officials as 'sudden death syndrome'. With Navalny's death, Russia lost one of its last formidable figures opposing Putin and a figurehead for civil rights. His legacy continues to inspire both supporters and fear from the ruling regime.
In a video shared on social media, Yulia Navalnaya said analysis of smuggled biological samples carried out by laboratories in two countries showed that her husband had been 'murdered'.
She did not provide details on the poison allegedly used, on the samples or on the analysis – but challenged the two laboratories to publish their results.
Navalny – an anti-corruption campaigner and Russia's most vociferous opposition leader - died suddenly in jail on 16 February 2024 at the age of 47.
In 2020, he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent and underwent treatment in Germany; he was arrested upon returning to Russia.
At the time of his death, he had been incarcerated for three years on what many believe to be trumped-up charges, and had recently been transferred to a penal colony in the Arctic Circle.
Navalny's supporters assert that the Russian government was behind his demise. Navalnaya explained that after her husband's death, his team managed to obtain and securely transfer biological samples to foreign labs, which ultimately concluded he had been poisoned.
However, she did not disclose the laboratories' locations, hinting that findings might not be made public due to 'political considerations'. They don't want an inconvenient truth to surface at the wrong time, she said.
Navalnaya underscored the lack of support she's faced in legally pursuing inquiries into her husband's passing: You are the wife, of course, but there is no criminal case, there are no legal grounds to hand documents to you. But I have grounds. Not legal, but moral grounds.
She stated that Navalny had been her husband, friend and closest person – and 'a symbol of hope for a better future for our country'. During a touching address, she affirmed her belief that President Vladimir Putin was responsible for her husband's death, urging labs to make their findings public.
In response to Navalnaya's accusations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated he was unaware of her remarks.
Navalnaya also recounted the harrowing details of her husband's last moments, claiming he experienced horrific suffering while in custody, which was dismissed by prison officials as 'sudden death syndrome'. With Navalny's death, Russia lost one of its last formidable figures opposing Putin and a figurehead for civil rights. His legacy continues to inspire both supporters and fear from the ruling regime.
