G7 demands Russia explain Navalny's death
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The G7 foreign ministers on Saturday called on Russia to fully clarify the circumstances of the death of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable domestic opponent.
“They expressed their outrage at the death in detention of Alexei Navalny, unjustly sentenced for legitimate political activities and his fight against corruption,” according to a statement released by Italy, which is currently chairing the Group of Seven wealthy nations.
The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States met in Munich on Saturday where Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky pled for more weapons after having to withdraw from Avdiivka.
World leaders have rallied to blame Putin’s regime for Navalny’s death.
Follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section
05:03 PM GMT
Today's live blog is now closed
That’s all for today, thanks for following along. Here are the most significant stories:
At least 340 people across 30 Russian cities have been detained at memorial events for Putin’s most formidable opponent Alexei Navalny who died yesterday under suspicious circumstances that world leaders have pinned on Putin’s regime.
Alexei Navalny’s supporters on Saturday accused Russian authorities of being “killers” who were “covering their tracks” by refusing to hand over his body, as the Kremlin stayed silent despite accusations from the west and his team.
Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila and his lawyer were refused access to his body, after arriving in the region of the remote prison colony where he had been held, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said.
Ukraine’s fightback against Russia is being limited by a lack of long-range missiles and artillery shells, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Munich today, making a fresh appeal for more weapons. His call at the gathering of 180 leaders and defence chiefs comes at a critical juncture, with Ukraine’s troops forced to withdraw from the frontline city of Avdiivka to avoid being encircled.
Britain will take action over the death in custody of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and it is calling on other countries to do likewise, Foreign Minister David Cameron has said. “There should be consequences when appalling human rights outrages like this take place,” Cameron told Sky News.
04:44 PM GMT
Italy foreign minister sees Ukraine joining EU and NATO once war ends
Ukraine will become a member of the European Union and also of NATO, but it cannot enter the military alliance while it is still at war with Russia, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday.
“The message to Russia is very clear: Ukraine will be a member of the European Union, and then we are working to have Ukraine as a member of NATO,” Tajani said at the Munich Security Conference.
However, NATO membership is impossible while Ukraine remains locked in a military conflict with Russia, he added.
“We need to be very prudent”, because having a full NATO member at war with Russia “means World War III”, Tajani said.
04:30 PM GMT
Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference
04:02 PM GMT
Italy 'ready to do more' on military aid for Ukraine, foreign minister says
Italy is ready to offer more military aid to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday.
“We are ready to do more” at the economic, political and military level, Tajani said at the Munich Security Conference.
He said Italy had so far approved eight support packages for Ukraine, with the latest one due to arrive in the coming days.
04:01 PM GMT
Navalny's mother demands to be given her son's body
Alexei Navalny’s mother is demanding access to her son’s body, which is thought to have been moved from the prison’s morgue.
Navalny’s lawyer arrived in the town of Salekhard with Navalny’s mother Lyudmila on Saturday, the day after his death, and went to the local morgue.
“It was closed despite the prison saying that it was open and that Navalny’s body was there,” Navalny’s team said on Telegram.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh accused officials of “lying” to avoid handing over the body to the family.
Navalny’s supporters have called for the body to be returned to the family “immediately”.
“It’s obvious that the killers want to cover their tracks and are therefore not handing over Alexei’s body, hiding it even from his mother,” his team said in a post on Telegram.
02:55 PM GMT
Navalny death must lead to action, says Litvinenko's widow
The death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny was a “very sad day” for Russia, and must lead to international action, the wife of murdered ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko has said.
Marina Litvinenko, whose husband Alexander died of radiation poisoning in 2006 aged 43, three weeks after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium at an upmarket London hotel, told AFP she had sympathy with Navalny’s wife Yulia.
“I do understand Yulia very well, after what happened to her husband. You always think it will never happen to you,” she said.
“It was a very sad day, not just for the family of Alexei Navalny - his wife and his son and daughter - it was a very sad day for many Russian people who believe in a better future for Russia. I was very angry.”
She urged Yulia Navalny to make sure the international community is “not allowed to forget about this.”
“It’s not enough to talk about this just yesterday, today, and maybe a few more days. It needs to be talked about all the time until you get justice.”
02:50 PM GMT
Zelensky makes fresh appeal for weapons
Ukraine’s fightback against Russia is being limited by a lack of long-range missiles and artillery shells, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Munich today, making a fresh appeal for more weapons.
His call at the gathering of 180 leaders and defence chiefs comes at a critical juncture, with Ukraine’s troops forced to withdraw from the frontline city of Avdiivka to avoid being encircled.
The flashpoint situation illustrates the weapons shortage facing his troops, said the Ukrainian president, a day after signing pacts to anchor longer-term security for his country.
“Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat,” he said, adding that “our actions are limited only by the sufficiency and length of the range of our strength... (the) Avdiivka situation proves this,” said Zelensky.
“Keeping Ukraine in artificial deficits of weapons, particularly in deficits of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war.”
02:33 PM GMT
At least 273 people detained in Russia at events in memory of Navalny, says rights group
At least 273 people have been detained at events across 32 Russian cities since the death of Alexei Navalny, according to rights group OVD-Info.
It is the largest wave of arrests at political events in Russia since Sept 2022, when more than 1,300 were arrested at demonstrations against a “partial mobilisation” of reservists for the military campaign in Ukraine.
01:49 PM GMT
Ukrainian troops captured during withdrawal from Avdiivka
Some Ukrainian troops were captured by Russian forces during their withdrawal from Avdiivka, a Ukrainian official has said.
Ukrainian brigadier general Oleksandr Tarnavskyi posted on Telegram that “at the final stage of the operation” and “under the pressure of the overwhelming enemy forces” a “certain number of Ukrainian servicemen were captured”.
Ukrainian troops have now moved to the second line of defences near Avdiivka, he added.
01:43 PM GMT
The US will work to ensure Russia pays damages to Ukraine, VP Harris says
US Vice President Kamala Harris said that the Biden’s administration stands ready to support Ukraine in its war with Russia for “as long as it takes” and would push for Russia to pay damages to Ukraine following the end of the war.
“We will continue in our efforts to secure a just and lasting peace. We will work to make sure Russia pays damages to Ukraine,” she said at a joint news conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Her comments came with $60 billion for Kyiv stalled in the US Congress.
01:32 PM GMT
Ukraine fires artillery on Russian positions In the Kreminna direction
01:14 PM GMT
Navalny spokeswoman: body won't be released to relatives until officials complete investigation
Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said that Russian officials have said that the dead opposition leader’s body will not be released to his relatives until investigations are complete.
His mother and lawyer were told at the prison colony on Saturday that he had died of “sudden death syndrome”, prominent Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said.
01:10 PM GMT
Pictured: Arrests in Moscow
01:09 PM GMT
More than 200 arrested at Navalny memorials
More than 200 people have been arrested by Russian authorities at spontaneous memorials for Alexei Navalny, a rights group said this morning.
People were seen gathering to place flowers at makeshift monuments across Russia late Friday, and in some cases were detained by police, social media footage showed.
As of this afternoon, “at least 212 people” had already been detained in 21 cities, including 64 in Russia’s second-largest city of Saint Petersburg, OVD-Info said. The updated figures had more than doubled in both people and geographic spread from this morning.
Eleven people were detained in Moscow, and multiple others in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don and Tver, it said.
Authorities in Moscow said yesterday that they were aware of calls online “to take part in a mass rally in the centre of Moscow” and warned people against attending.
Putin’s long-standing opponent, Navalny died after he fell ill on a walk at the Arctic penal colony where he was being held, Kremlin authorities claimed. The UK Government said last night that it had “summoned the Russian embassy” to make clear that it holds the Russian authorities “fully responsible”.
12:57 PM GMT
Britain will take action over Navalny death, David Cameron says
Britain will take action over the death in custody of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and it is calling on other countries to do likewise, Foreign Minister David Cameron has said.
“There should be consequences when appalling human rights outrages like this take place,” Cameron told Sky News.
“What we do is we look at whether there are individual people that are responsible and whether there are individual actions that we can take.”
12:23 PM GMT
Ukraine shoots down three Russian warplanes, air force chief says
Ukrainian forces shot down two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers and one Su-35 fighter in the skies over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief said.
“On the morning of February 17, 2024, in the eastern (sector), units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed three enemy aircraft at once - two Su-34 fighter-bombers and one Su-35 fighter,” Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram.
According to Reuters, if true it would represent a loss to Moscow of advanced warplanes worth in excess of $100 million in total.
12:09 PM GMT
Tributes to Navalny at Russian embassy in London
12:06 PM GMT
Zelensky says ready to take Trump to Ukraine frontline
Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he was ready to take Donald Trump to the frontlines, as fears grow over sustained US aid to Kyiv should the ex-president return to the White House.
Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference he had invited Trump to Ukraine because policy makers should see what real war entailed.
“If Mr Trump will come, I’m ready to go with him to the frontline,” said the Ukrainian president.
“I think if we’re in dialogue how to finish the war, we have to demonstrate to people who are decision makers what does it mean the real war, not in Instagram. Real war,” said Zelensky
12:02 PM GMT
Taiwanese independence must be firmly rejected, China says
Taiwanese independence must be firmly rejected, the foreign minister of China has said, as anxiety grows about potential military action by Beijing in the coming years, James Rothwell writes.
“Taiwan’s affairs are China’s affairs,” Wang Yi said in an address to the Munich security conference on Saturday.
“The one China principle must be upheld. To preserve peace... Taiwan independence must be firmly rejected,” he added.
Beijing has long considered Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be assimilated into China and has not ruled out military force to achieve this.
11:38 AM GMT
Ursula von der Leyen calls for a new 'defence commissioner' role
James Rothwell in Munich writes:
Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission president, has called on the bloc to create the role of “defence commissioner” to help tackle Russia.
The European Commission, which is tasked with drawing up EU legislation, has various commissioner roles but is yet to create one specifically for defence.
“If I would be the next commission president, I would install a commissioner for defense,” Ms von der Leyen told the Munich Security Conference.
11:28 AM GMT
Some Ukrainian troops captured during Avdiivka pullout, Kyiv says
Some Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Ukrainian Brigadier-General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said on Saturday.
“At the final stage of the (withdrawal) operation, under the pressure of the overwhelming enemy forces, a certain number of Ukrainian servicemen were captured,” Tarnavskyi wrote on Telegram.
He said Ukrainian troops had now moved to the second line of defences near Avdiivka.
11:20 AM GMT
Pictured: Navalny's mourners arrested
11:08 AM GMT
Ukrainian troops withdrawing from Avdiivka
Ukrainian commander Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said early Saturday that he was withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months, to avoid encirclement and save soldiers’ lives.
The president said that the troop withdrawal was “a correct decision” and emphasized the priority of saving Ukrainian soldiers’ lives. He suggested that Russia has achieved little, adding that it has been attacking Avdiivka “with all the power that they had” since October and lost thousands of soldiers – “that’s what Russia has achieved. It’s a depletion of their army.”
“Dear friends, unfortunately keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” Mr Zelensky said. “The self-weakening of democracy over time undermines our joint results.”
“We’re just waiting for weapons that we’re short of,” he added, pointing to a lack of long-range weapons. “That’s why our weapon today is our soldiers, our people.”
11:02 AM GMT
Dutch prime minister says Europe needs to 'stop whining' about Trump
James Rothwell in Munich writes:
Europe needs to “stop whining” about Donald Trump as it has no control over who Americans elect and must work with whoever wins the race, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has said.
Mr Rutte, who is said to be jockeying for the role of Nato’s next secretary-general, said the EU had to work with “whoever is on the dancefloor,” referring to the US election.
“We have to do this because we want to do this, because it is in our interest. This is crucial. And all that whining and moaning about Trump, I hear that constantly over the last couple of days, let’s stop doing that,” he said.
There can also be “no doubt” that Vladimir Putin will “test Nato” if he wins in Ukraine, Mr Rutte warned. He also said he was “cautiously optimistic” that Congress would eventually manage to pass the Ukraine funding bill.
10:43 AM GMT
Ursula von der Leyen outlines plan for bolstering European defences
James Rothwell in Munich writes:
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has outlined a four-point EU plan for bolstering the defences of Europe, learning lessons from the Ukraine battlefield and becoming less dependent on the US.
“The European Union has to step up its industrial base without question,” she told a panel at the Munich Security conference. “It’s basically four points – we have to spend more, and more is on its way – [there was] a 20 per cent increase last year but it’s still not enough.”
“We have to spend better, with more joint procurement and scaling up, ramping up,” she added. “The third element I think is we have to spend more European, what I mean by that: it is European taxpayers’ billions we’re investing, and we want a return on investment and good jobs in Europe.”
“The fourth point is more looking at the here and now in Ukraine. In Ukraine we are learning a lot on the battlefield - Russia is outmassing Ukraine, they throw out thousands and thousands and sacrifice young men on the battlefield.”
The war had also illustrated how Russia was relying on “quick and dirty” weapons such as drones produced by North Korea and other Russian allies, she said.
“So in a nutshell I’m a convinced trans-atlanticist but at the same time we have to build a strong Europe and that goes hand in hand.”
10:11 AM GMT
Three killed in shelling in Russian-held east Ukraine, official says
Three people including a girl were killed and four others injured after Ukraine shelled the Russian-occupied region of Donetsk on Saturday, a Moscow-installed local official said.
Ukraine targeted the town of Panteleimonivka, less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) north east of Donetsk city, said Dmitry Shevchenko, proxy head of the local Yasynuvata municipality.
“Three people were killed, including a girl born in 2009, and four people were injured, including a girl born in 2013, as a result of the morning shelling,” he said.
His claims could not immediately be verified.
The reported shelling came hours after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the frontline city of Avdiivka, also in the Donetsk region, amid intense Russian bombardment.
10:09 AM GMT
Ukraine's weapon shortage is strengthening Putin, Zelensky says
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his country’s lack of access to weapons was strengthening Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Unfortunately, keeping Ukraine in an artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” he said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.
He made reference to the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, from where Ukrainian troops withdrew as Ukraine faces acute shortages of ammunition with the U.S. military aid help up for months in Congress.
“Do not ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourself, why is Putin still able to continue it?” Zelensky said, adding that he made the decision to withdraw to save Ukrainian lives.
10:07 AM GMT
Pictured: Navalny's mourners arrested
10:03 AM GMT
Navalny's mother travelling to Russian prison where he died
Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was travelling to the prison colony where he died, accompanied by Navalny’s lawyer, Russia’s Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported on Saturday.
09:26 AM GMT
The memorials pictured
09:20 AM GMT
Obama reacts to Navalny's death
Aleksey Navalny was a fearless advocate for his beliefs who died unbroken by the tyranny he opposed. He fought corruption, inspired millions and never wavered in his insistence on free expression, the rule of law, and a Russia that is accountable to the people and not a dictator.…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 17, 2024
09:15 AM GMT
Putin must pay for ‘murder’ of Navalny, say world leaders
Vladimir Putin must be made to pay for the “murder” of Alexei Navalny, world leaders said on Friday.
The Kremlin’s promise to investigate the death was dismissed by world leaders, who instead blamed Putin’s brutal regime.
On Friday evening, the UK Government said it had “summoned the Russian embassy” to make clear that it holds the Russian authorities “fully responsible”.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said the death “must be investigated fully and transparently”, adding: “Mr Navalny was a man of great courage and iron will. Even from his prison cell, he continued to speak up for the rights of the Russian people. His dedication to human rights and exposing corruption was an inspiration to millions. The ideals for which he stood and died will live forever.”
Speaking at the White House, Joe Biden said the Russian president was “responsible” for the death of Mr Navalny, while David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said: “Putin’s Russia fabricated charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an arctic penal colony and now he has tragically died.
Read more here.
09:13 AM GMT
Good morning
Hello and welcome to The Telegraph’s live blog on the aftermath of the death of long-time Putin opponent Alexei Navalny yesterday.
More than 100 arrested at Navalny memorials
More than 100 people have been arrested by Russian authorities at spontaneous memorials for Alexei Navalny, the a rights group said this morning.
People were seen gathering to place flowers at makeshift monuments across Russia late Friday, and in some cases were detained by police, social media footage showed.
As of this morning, “more than 101 people” had already been detained in 10 cities, including 64 in Russia’s second-largest city of Saint Petersburg, OVD-Info said.
Eleven people were detained in Moscow, and multiple others in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don and Tver, it said.
Authorities in Moscow said yesterday that they were aware of calls online “to take part in a mass rally in the centre of Moscow” and warned people against attending.
Putin’s long-standing opponent, Navalny died after he fell ill on a walk at the Arctic penal colony where he was being held, Kremlin authorities claimed. The UK Government said last night that it had “summoned the Russian embassy” to make clear that it holds the Russian authorities “fully responsible”.
