Who was Alexei Navalny? Fierce Putin critic reportedly found dead in arctic jail

Alexei Navalny, the 47-year-old jailed opposition leader and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, is dead, Russian prison officials announced Friday.

Navalny, who survived an assassination attempt with a nerve agent in 2020, had been imprisoned since returning to Russia in 2021. He was being held in a Russian jail about 40 miles north of the arctic circle.

🔊 How was his death announced?

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement that Navalny lost consciousness and died after taking a walk and could not be resuscitated.

“The facility’s medical staff immediately arrived and an ambulance brigade was called,” the statement said. “All necessary resuscitation measures were taken, which did not lead to positive results. The ambulance doctors confirmed the death of the convict.”

🔎 Who was Alexei Navalny?

Navalny was born on June 4, 1976, near Moscow.

A former lawyer, he rose to prominence in the early 2000s and 2010s for leading nationalist marches and exposing what he called corruption among the Russian elite, describing Kremlin leaders as "crooks and thieves."

As Reuters put it, Navalny “exposed some of the opulence of the lifestyles of senior officials, using the internet and even drones to illustrate what he described as their vast holdings and luxury property.”

Among them: a palace built on the Black Sea for Putin’s personal use; mansions and yachts used by ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; and “a sex worker who linked a top foreign policy official with a well-known oligarch,” per the Guardian.

🇷🇺 A thorn in Putin’s side

Navalny had long been considered Putin’s top political foe. He led protests in Russia against election fraud and government corruption and was arrested and jailed for 15 days in late 2011 for “defying a government official” amid demonstrations against Russia’s parliamentary election.

In 2020, Navalny fell into a coma after a suspected poisoning while on a flight and was evacuated to Germany for treatment. He recovered and in 2021 returned to Russia, where he was promptly arrested on a parole violation charge and sentenced to his first of several jail terms totaling more than 30 years.

🗓️ Navalny's final days

In December 2023, Navalny was quietly moved from a prison east of Moscow to a penal colony, nicknamed "Polar Wolf," in the town of Kharp, some 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow.

The day after Christmas, he posted a string of messages on X joking that he was the “new Santa Claus” and telling his supporters, “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

📢 An activist until the end

Navalny recently urged Russians to protest against Putin by turning out to vote at noon on election day next month.

"This can be a powerful demonstration of the mood of the country," Navalny wrote on his Telegram channel, according to Reuters. "This will be a nationwide protest against Putin that takes place near your home. It's available to everyone, everywhere. Millions will be able to take part. And tens of millions will witness it."

Putin, the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin, is running for a fifth term in office.

Navalny’s last public appearance was Thursday, when he appeared, via video link, to be in good spirits while laughing and cracking jokes during a court hearing.

↘️ Who is Navalny's wife?

Yulia Navalnaya, also 47, is a former economist, banker and prominent public figure in Russia, where she is often described as the "first lady" of Putin's opposition. She and Navalny met in the summer of 1998 in Turkey and were married two years later. They have two children.

On Friday, Navalnaya learned of Navalny's death Friday in Munich, while attending the Munich Security Conference.

“I don’t know if we should believe the terrible news,” Navalnaya said. "But if it's true, I want Putin, his entourage, Putin's friends and his government to know they will be held responsible for what they have done to our country, my family, and my husband. And that day will come very soon."

🇺🇸 The Biden administration's reaction to Navalny's death

Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who are also in Munich, responded to the reports of Navalny’s death Friday.

Harris said the administration was working to confirm his death.

"If confirmed, this would be a further sign of Putin's brutality," Harris said. "Whatever story they tell, let us be clear, Russia is responsible."

“If these reports are accurate, our hearts go out to his wife and to his family,” Blinken said. “Beyond that, 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. Russia is responsible for this.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House early Friday afternoon, President Biden praised Navalny for his bravery — and put the blame for his death squarely on Putin.

"Make no mistake," Biden said. "Putin is responsible for Navalny's death."