Joe Biden blames Navalny’s death on Russian President

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US President Joe Biden pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin for the alleged death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison and expressed his outrage over the situation.

In a strong statement, Biden said, “Make no mistake – Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. What happened to Navalny is further proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled.”

The US doesn’t yet know “what really happened” to Navalny, Biden said.

US Vice President Kamala Harris also expressed similar sentiments, blaming the Kremlin for Navalny’s alleged death during her speech in Munich. Whatever story he presented, he insisted on Russia’s culpability, as US lawmakers paid tribute, the BBC reported.

Navalny, a key opposition leader in Russia, reportedly died in the Arctic Circle prison, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on widely criticized politically motivated charges. For the past decade, Navalny and his anti-corruption foundation have been at the forefront of domestic opposition against President Vladimir Putin.

According to Russia’s prison service, Navalny “felt unwell” during a walk at the facility in the Yamalo-Nenets district and collapsed almost immediately. Russian newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, labeled Navalny’s death a “murder”, linking it to conditions inside the prison.

Alexei Navalny, an outspoken critic of Putin, faced an additional 19 years in prison last August on extremism charges. His imprisonment began in January 2021 after his return to Moscow from Germany, where he recovered from nerve agent poisoning attributed to the Kremlin.

Navalny, who campaigned against corruption, organized anti-Kremlin protests, and was accused of political revenge by the ruling party, disappeared from a prison in the Vladimir region in December 2021. He said there was no possibility of his release as long as Putin remained in power.