Kira Yarmysh, Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson, says the Russian opposition leader was “murdered.”
Topline
A spokesperson for Alexei Navalny confirmed the Russian opposition leader’s death in a series of social media posts Saturday morning, tweeting the longtime foe of President Vladimir Putin was “murdered” and alleging Russian authorities were stonewalling his supporters’ efforts to retrieve his body.Key Facts
In the wake of the Russian prison system’s report of Navalny’s death Friday, members of Navalny’s team initially said they were unable to confirm his death, but on Saturday morning, spokesperson Kira Yarmysh alleged on X Navalny “was murdered” and his death occurred at 2:17 p.m. Feb. 16, according to a message given to Navalny’s mother.
She also demanded his body “be handed over to his family immediately,” and in a series of posts, detailed his team’s efforts to find his body, which Russian prison officials allegedly said was being investigated by a committee and was at a morgue in the remote Arctic city of Salekhard, near Navalny’s prison colony.
When a lawyer and Navalny’s mother arrived at the Salekhard morgue, an employee there told them the body was not there, Yarmysh claims.
