16 February 2024 , 14:58
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The announcement of the demise of Vladimir Putin's opposition politician was published two minutes after his official time of death, it is claimed.
Alexei Navalny, 47, passed away after going for a walk in Russia's most brutal jail - former Soviet gulag north of the Arctic - and tributes, including those from Rishi Sunak, have since flooded in. Now, Russian telegram channel VChK-Ogpu claims the press release announcing Mr Navalny's death was published to the media two minutes after the official time of his death.
A screenshot of the release shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, notes a timestamp on 2.19pm (local time), and authorities had said the time of death was recorded as 2.19pm. Putin's top critic, who had allegedly been put in solitary confinement in the jail, lost consciousness after a walk inside the prison.
The convict was confirmed dead minutes later, the prison confirmed in a statement. Asked about Navalny’s death, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “As far as we know, in line with all the existing rules, the FSIN [prison service] are running all the checks and establishing... all of that. No orders are needed for that because there is a certain set of rules for these occasions.” Asked if it was true there was a blood clot, he said: “I don't know, I don't know….The medics should establish."
Mr Navalny was a lawyer, and an anti-corruption activist (AFP via Getty Images)Lord David Cameron said there should be "consequences" for Vladimir Putin as he blamed Alexei Navalny's death on the "action that Putin's Russia took". Speaking to broadcasters as he attends the Munich Security Conference, the Foreign Secretary said: "Alexei Navalny was an incredibly brave fighter against corruption and he gave up everything in campaigning for what he believed in, and my heart goes out to his wife and to his family.
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"We should be clear about what has happened here. Putin's Russia imprisoned him, trumped up charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an Arctic penal colony and now he's tragically died. We should hold Putin accountable for this, and no one should be in any doubt about the dreadful nature of Putin's regime in Russia after what has just happened."
Vladimir Putin gestures during the Forum of Future Technologies this week (Getty Images)Rishi Sunak has described the death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as “terrible news”, adding: “As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.”
Putin's number one enemy went missing during his stint in a hellish Russian clink last year - and his supporters warned he could be executed. The head of Navalny’s FBK party Maria Pevchikh had said: “We are worried for his life. He’s in the hands of the very same people who tried to kill him before. If they once got an authorisation to murder Navalny, do they have another one now or is the last one still valid. Navalny’s life is constantly at a high risk.”