Russia's reaction to Navalny's death was muted – ISW

ISW assessed Russia's reaction to the death of Alexei Navalny/Collage 24 Channel

Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War commented on Russia's reaction to the death of Alexei Navalny. According to experts, this reaction was muted.

The death of the Russian oppositionist became known on February 16. Before that, he was in a colony in the village of Kharp, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

ISW assessed Russia's reaction to Navalny's death

Experts noted that the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug stated that Navalny died in the colony after he went for a walk and felt unwell.

At the same time, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, noted that the Kremlin, and Putin personally, knows nothing about Navalny’s death. Other senior Russian officials expressed outrage at accusations of Kremlin involvement in Navalny's death and called for the results of the death investigation and autopsy results.

Russians across the country laid flowers and held minor demonstrations at memorials to political prisoners. But Russian law enforcement largely prevented the demonstrations from growing, and Moscow prosecutors warned against participation in the supposedly planned large demonstration, ISW explained.

Analysts also noted that several Russian ultranationalist “military correspondents” echoed the Kremlin line, criticizing Western accusations of Russian involvement in Navalny's death.

In particular, one Russian milibloger said that Navalny's death is “insignificant compared to the current situation in Avdeevka,” and another blogger argued that it was a “serious mistake for Russia to imprison Navalny and let him die there on the eve of the presidential elections in March 2024.”

In addition, the so-called Russian Strelkov Movement (Igor Girkin) has expressed fears that Navalny's death may leave no one to lead the internal resistance movement if Russia goes to war directly against Western states. Girkin's wife Miroslava Reginskaya expressed concern for Girkin himself, but claimed that his health was fine.

Alexey Navalny died in colonies

• Alexey Navalny died in yet another colony, where he had recently been transferred after a walk. According to sources in Russian publications, a blood clot allegedly broke loose from a Russian oppositionist. At the time of his death, he was 47 years old.
• Vladimir Zelensky also reacted to Navalny’s death. The president suggested that it could have been a murder and it could have been carried out on Putin's orders.
• European and American partners expressed condolences over Navalny's death and condemned the Kremlin's possible actions regarding Navalny. At the same time, in Moscow, in turn, they “deny involvement” in the death of the politician.
• It is worth noting that during his activities, Navalny made a number of scandalous statements about Ukraine and Crimea. Read more about Navalny’s biography and scandalous statements in the material.