Western officials and Kremlin critics blame Putin and his government for Navalny’s death in prison

Follow the latest updates on this story. U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington does not know exactly what happened, “but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something Putin and his thugs did.” Navalny “could have lived safely in exile,” but instead returned to Russia to “continue his work,” despite knowing he could be imprisoned or killed “because he believed so deeply in his country, in Russia.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country temporarily took in Navalny in 2020 after he was poisoned with a nerve agent, praised the Kremlin critic’s bravery and said his death makes clear “what kind of regime this is.” “He has probably now paid for this courage with his life,” Scholz said, standing next to Zelenskyy. “Even if Alexei died of ‘natural’ causes, those were triggered by his poisoning and further torture in prison.” Former world chess champion-turned-Kremlin opponent Garry Kasparov said “Putin tried and failed to murder Navalny quickly and secretly with poison, and now he has murdered him slowly and publicly in prison.” “He was killed for exposing Putin and his mafia as the crooks and thieves they are,” tweeted Kasparov, who lives abroad. Pyotr Verzilov, a prominent member of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot, said “Navalny was murdered in prison.” In a post on X, Verzilov added: “We will definitely take revenge and destroy this regime.” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Navalny’s death showed that “Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people.” Vice President Kamala Harris says the reports on the death of Alexei Navalny, are “terrible” news and a further sign of Putin’s brutality. She called it “a grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about,” and added it should provide impetus to “unite in our fight to safeguard the freedom and safety of those who dare to stand up against autocracy.” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the fact that Navalny was a prisoner “makes it extremely important that Russia now answer all the questions that it will be asked about the cause of death.” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron echoed her remarks, saying “Putin’s Russia imprisoned him, trumped up charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an Arctic penal colony and now he has tragically died.