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Aleksei Navalny died in prison as a result of poisoning, his widow Yulia Navalnaya reported.
According to her, in February 2024, the politician’s supporters managed to obtain and send his biological samples abroad. Laboratories in two countries independently concluded that Navalny had been poisoned.
Navalnaya published a video in which she said that on the day of his death, Navalny became unwell after eating and going for a walk. He complained of chest and stomach pains and began to have convulsions. The politician died on 16 February 2024 in Penal Colony IK-3 in Kharp, a settlement in the far north of Russia. His widow showed photos of cell no. 16, where he had been held: the pictures show personal belongings and vomit on the floor.
Navalnaya claims that, according to the testimony of five colony staff, Navalny was lying on the floor, groaning and convulsing. At the same time, she says, Senior Warrant Officer Aleksandr Belich locked the cell’s bars and door and left. The prison medical unit responded late, and the ambulance arrived only after 40 minutes. The diagnosis: “convulsive syndrome, sudden death syndrome.” Navalnaya stressed that convulsions can be a sign of poisoning.
She also stated that there are dozens of cameras in the colony, but no footage from 16 February has been preserved. In her view, the investigation into her husband’s death is being stalled for political reasons. She demanded the publication of expert findings that could indicate exactly what substance Navalny was poisoned with.
Previously, the Investigative Committee refused to open a criminal case regarding the politician’s death. Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, appealed this decision, but on 16 September, the Salekhard City Court—Salekhard is a city in the Russian Arctic—terminated proceedings on her complaint. The judge stated that the investigators’ refusal “does not affect her rights and interests.”