Putin did not directly order Navalny’s death, American intelligence services were to find out

According to people familiar with their contents, the findings of US intelligence services do not question Putin’s guilt in the death of Navalny, but he probably did not order it at the time, writes the WSJ. The finding is already being received and shared across the intelligence community and agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The US conclusions are based on many sources, including some classified intelligence, an analysis of public facts, and the fact that Navalny died not long before the Russian presidential election, which may have overshadowed Putin’s re-election.

At the same time, sources familiar with the newspaper’s findings did not specify whether the US had evaluated the cause of Navalny’s death. After all, there were long disputes and conspiracy theories about it. The original cause of death was supposed to be thrombosis (blood clot). Later, there were unconfirmed speculations that Navalny had died from a precise punch to the heart after being exposed to sub-freezing temperatures in an outdoor solitary confinement cell for several hours.

I may disappoint you, but Navalny probably died of natural causes, Budanov said

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However, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) Kyrylo Budanov said at the end of February that Navalny died of natural causes of thrombosis. On that account, the British news television BBC recalled that the Russian prison system estimates that there have been 1,400-2,000 deaths in prisons annually in the last five years, with heart problems being the most common cause. Russia denies any involvement in Navalny’s death.

According to the WSJ, select European intelligence agencies have been briefed on the US findings, but some European countries remain skeptical of the possibility that anything could happen to Navalny without Putin’s approval.

At the same time, the USA together with other countries, including the European Union, strongly condemned Navalny’s death, later many countries, including the Czech Republic, called on the EU to adopt sanctions against Russian officials. President Biden himself made it known that “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death”. However, the US now believes that the timing of his death was not intended by Putin.

The EU imposed sanctions because of Navalny

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Navalny’s allies insist his death was orchestrated by the Kremlin. “Those who claim that Putin was unaware of this clearly do not understand anything about how modern Russia is run. The notion that Putin is not informed and does not approve of the killing of Navalny is ridiculous,” Leonid Volkov, a longtime ally of the late Navalny, said in a statement.

Even Slawomir Dębski, director of the Polish Institute for International Affairs, does not hide his doubts. “Navalny was a politically high-value prisoner and everyone knew that Putin was personally involved in his fate. The chance of this kind of accidental death is low,” he said.

Alexei Navaly died in February 2024 at the age of 47 in a penal colony in Russia. The lawyer and political activist was the most visible representative of the Russian opposition. He was poisoned in the past, which Navalny himself blamed on Putin. Navalny was imprisoned immediately after returning to his homeland from Germany, where he was cured of poisoning. He had already been behind bars for three years before his death. Russian courts have imposed several sentences on him, including for alleged extremism. Navalny denied all the accusations.

He served most of his sentence in the IK-6 maximum security prison, located in the village of Melechovo in the Vladimir Region, about 200 kilometers east of Moscow. Navalny has repeatedly complained about frequent stays in solitary confinement for trivial offenses. He was transferred to the IK-3 penal colony in Siberia, known as Polarnyj volk (Polar Wolf), last year shortly before Christmas.