New Lab Analyses Indicate Alexey Navalny Died From Poisoning, Widow Claims
Moscow, Russia – Independent laboratory analyses conducted in two countries have concluded that Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was killed by poisoning, his widow, yulia Navalnaya, announced today. The findings come weeks after Navalny’s unexpected death in a Siberian prison colony on February 16, 2024, a death initially attributed by Russian authorities to natural causes.
Navalnaya stated that her allies “have managed to get and safely transfer biological samples from Alexey abroad.” According to her social media post,reported by AFP,the laboratories reached the conclusion that Navalny’s death was caused by a poisonous substance.
“Laboratories in two countries have come to the conclusion that Alexey has been killed. More specifically: poisonous,” Navalnaya wrote. She has called on the laboratories to independently publish their full findings, including details about the specific poison identified.
Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin and a leading figure in anti-corruption protests across Russia, had previously been poisoned in 2020 while campaigning in Siberia. He received treatment in Germany before returning to Russia in january 2021, where he was afterward convicted on charges including “extremism.” Despite his imprisonment, he continued to voice opposition to putin and the war in Ukraine.
Following his death, Russian authorities delayed the release of Navalny’s body to his family, fueling suspicion among his supporters. Navalnaya has consistently maintained that her husband was murdered on Putin’s orders, a claim the Kremlin denies.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Navalnaya’s announcement regarding the lab results, stating, “I don’t no anything about her statements. I can’t say anything hear,” according to TASS. Peskov also dismissed the possibility that the claims would impact the political situation or negotiations surrounding the conflict in Ukraine,asserting,”This cannot in any way affect the situation or the negotiation process.”
Peskov reiterated Russia’s preference for a diplomatic resolution to the Ukrainian crisis, stating, ”We retain our position, reserve openness to the negotiation process. We continue to declare that it is indeed preferable to settle the Ukrainian crisis with political and diplomatic means.”
Editor: Darina Metodieva
