Russian prison service says Alexei Navalny has died; Biden says 'Putin is responsible'

Feb. 16 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden on Friday blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for what is believed to be the death of the Kremlin's leading opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison.

Russia's prison service said on Friday that Navalny, 47, died while in custody but his passing has yet to be confirmed by family and supporters. Absent that confirmation, Biden said if true, the responsibility falls squarely on Putin and his government and he is "outraged" by the news.

"Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny's death," Biden said in a hastily called news conference early Friday afternoon. "What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin's brutality. No one should be fooled. Not in Russia. Not anywhere in the world."

Biden declined to say if Navalny's death, which is believed to have taken place in the penal colony he was held up above the Arctic Circle, was an assassination, adding the United States does not know what happened but his death was "the consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did."

"He bravely stood up to the corruption and the violence and all the bad things the Putin government was doing," Biden said of Navalny. "Even in prison, he was a powerful voice for the truth. It's kind of amazing when you think about it."

When asked about past comments that Russia would face "devastating" consequences if Navalny was killed in custody, Biden said those comments were made three years ago and Russia has since faced "a hell of a lot of consequences" largely citing deaths and sanctions stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"At the time there were no actions being taken against Russia," Biden said.

He added the United States was "looking at a whole number of options" in terms of responding.

Russia's Federal Prison Service said that Navalny, 47, who was in a penal colony in the Yamalo-Nenets region, died after reportedly not feeling well after a walk and losing consciousness.

"The facility's medical workers immediately arrived at the scene and an emergency medical team was called in," the service said. "All necessary resuscitation measures have been carried out but they did not yield positive results. Emergency medics confirmed the death of the convict."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin had been informed of Navalny's death but did not offer any additional details.

Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, said in remarks at the Munich Security Conference that she was unsure if they should believe the "terrible" news coming only from Russia's official media.

"We cannot believe Putin and his government, they are lying constantly," she said.

Navalnaya said, however, if the reports of her husband's death were true that Putin and his government should be punished.

"They will be brought to justice and this day will come soon," she said.

Vice President Kamala Harris also speaking in Munich said the United States was working to confirm the news.

"My prayers are with his family and his wife Yulia. If confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin's brutality. Whatever story they tell, let us be clear, Russia is responsible. We will have more to say on this later," she said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sounded a similar theme before his meeting with Indian Prime Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

"His death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built," Blinken said. "We'll be talking to many other countries concerned about Alexei Navalny and especially if these reports bear out to be true."

News of the unconfirmed death took some of his supporters by surprise. An attorney for Navalny could not confirm his death early Friday. Lawyer Solovyev told the Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta that another attorney saw Navalny on Wednesday and "everything was normal then." The Guardian reported.

"The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is spreading the news of Alexei Navalny's death in IK-3," said Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said on X. "We have no confirmation of this yet. Alexei's lawyer is currently on his way to Kharp. As soon as we have some information, we will report on it."

The reported death comes two months after Navalny briefly went missing in the Russian prison system. He was serving 30 years on extremism and fraud charges in the Vladimir region and was later found by his supporters at a prison 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

European Council President Charles Michel said the Russian government will be held responsible for Navalny's death.

"I extend my deepest condolences to his family and to those who fight for democracy around the world in the darkest conditions," Michel said. "Fighters die. But the fight for freedom never ends."

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said Navalny challenged Putin and paid for it with his life.

"His death in a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin's regime," he said.

Navalny had been detained since 2021 when he returned to Moscow after recovering in Germany from a poisoning that left him temporarily in a coma.

Navalny became ill while on a flight from Siberia to Moscow. His supporters eventually took him to Germany to recover. Physicians there determined he had been poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.

Biden pointed out that Navalny could have lived safely in exile outside of Russia after his poisoning but chose to return in 2021 because he felt challenging Putin and the Russian government was important enough to risk his life.

"He believed so deeply in his country, in Russia," Biden said.

Biden suggested that Navalny's death was ample proof for the House to pass aid to Ukraine, which has been fighting off an invasion by Russia for nearly two years. Be called the House going on a vacation instead of voting in the package approved by the Senate "bizarre."

He also strongly criticized former President Donald Trump for his past comments about not defending NATO allies if they have not dedicated a required portion of their budget to defense. Biden reiterated his commitment to NATO and that the United States would "defend every inch" of NATO territory.