American intelligence services say that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably did not order the killing of opposition politician Alexei Navalny in a prison camp beyond the Arctic Circle in February, The Wall Street Journal wrote.
Navalny, who was 47 at the time of his death, was Putin’s most prominent critic. His supporters have accused the Russian president of having him assassinated ahead of presidential elections in the world’s largest country and said they would present evidence to support their claim.
The Kremlin has denied any state involvement. Last month, Putin described Navalny’s death as “sad” and said he was prepared to hand him over to the West in a prisoner swap, provided the jailed politician never returned to Russia. According to Navalny’s followers, these negotiations took place.
The WSJ reported on Saturday, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, that US intelligence agencies had concluded that Putin likely did not order Navalny to be killed in February. At the same time, he added that Washington did not absolve the Russian leader of overall responsibility for his death. The opposition politician has been the target of attacks by the Russian authorities for years, he was imprisoned on charges that the West described as politically motivated, and in 2020 he was poisoned with a nerve agent. The Kremlin denies this.
The newspaper’s new finding was “widely accepted within the intelligence community and shared by several agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department’s intelligence unit,” the paper’s sources said.
The U.S. assessment was based on a range of reports, including some classified intelligence, and an analysis of publicly known facts, including the timing of Navalny’s death and how it overshadowed Putin’s March re-election bid, the paper cited some of its sources as saying.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that he had seen the newspaper’s report and said it contained “empty speculation”.
The death of Alexei Navalny
According to the Russian prison service, Navalny felt sick after the walk, collapsed and lost consciousness. Imprisoned Russian opposition politician dies aged 47. In this text you will find basic information about his death and a large portrait.
European and Czech politicians are reacting to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a penal colony. In addition to their condolences, they also express a clear opinion about the culprit of the tragedy – Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his criminal regime.
Telegram account Sota published footage from the trial of Alexei Navalny. They are only 24 hours old.
The Russian oppositionist was serving a 19-year sentence behind bars. He spent two-thirds of his time in solitary confinement in harsh conditions.
