Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, has dismissed the official findings regarding her husband’s death, which claim he died from a “combination of illnesses.” Navalny, who died in February at an Arctic prison colony, was 47 years old and had been serving more than 30 years on what he called politically motivated charges aimed at silencing his criticism of President Vladimir Putin.
Navalnaya announced she would demand a criminal investigation, asserting that she believes her husband’s death was murder. She also confirmed that Navalny’s team would continue their own independent inquiry into his passing.
On social media, Navalnaya shared a copy of a three-page letter she received from investigators, which stated that no criminal circumstances surrounded Navalny’s death, and therefore, there was no basis for an investigation. The letter, signed by Alexander Varapayev, claimed that Navalny had suddenly fallen ill while walking in a prison yard. According to the account, he was taken to the prison’s medical unit, where staff attempted to revive him using resuscitation techniques, but were unsuccessful. An emergency team also failed to save him.
Navalnaya rejected this version of events, calling it a cover-up. She claims that when Navalny became ill, he was not taken to the medical unit but instead was sent back to a punishment cell. She further alleged that he was left to die alone and was only moved to the medical unit after falling unconscious. Navalnaya also noted that in his final moments, Navalny had complained of severe stomach pain, a detail that was absent from the official report.
She did not provide specific details on how she and Navalny’s supporters had pieced together the timeline of events she described. The Kremlin continues to deny accusations that President Putin was involved in Navalny’s death.
