Putin and his administration are held accountable by Western diplomats and Kremlin adversaries for Navalny’s death in custody

On Friday, Russian opposition activists and world leaders did not spare time in accusing President Vladimir Putin and his administration of being responsible for the supposed murder of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained.

“It is evident that Putin killed him,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, who was in Germany for the Munich Security Conference and was looking for support for his nation’s defense against a Russian invasion.

“Putin only wants to maintain his position, regardless of who dies.” He must thus let go of everything. Zelenskyy said, “Putin must lose everything and be held accountable for his actions.

According to US President Joe Biden, “there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something Putin and his thugs did,” even if Washington is unsure of the precise circumstances.

Though aware that he would be arrested or assassinated, Navalny chose to return to Russia to “continue his work” even though he “could have lived safely in exile” “because he believed so deeply in his country, in Russia.”

The fortitude of the Kremlin opponent was commended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose nation briefly hosted Navalny in 2020 after he was poisoned with a nerve weapon. Scholz also said that Navalny’s death demonstrates “what kind of regime this is.”

Standing next to Zelenskyy, Scholz said, “He has probably now paid for this courage with his life.” During his recuperation, the German leader claimed to have met Navalny in Berlin.

At the time of his murder, 47-year-old Navalny was incarcerated for 19 years on accusations of extremism in a remote prison colony above the Arctic Circle. Since his return from Germany in January 2021, he had been incarcerated, spending time on a number of accusations that he dismissed as a politically driven attempt to put him behind bars for life.

In a post on X, which was previously Twitter, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said that Navalny had been “brutally murdered by the Kremlin.” “That is a fact, and it is important for people to understand the true nature of the current Russian regime.”

The claims from Russia’s prison authorities did not provide independent confirmation of Navalny’s death, as his allies emphasized. Authorities “must notify the relatives” within 24 hours, according to his close supporter Ivan Zhdanov, but no such notifications have been made.

During the Munich meeting, Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Navalny, said that “we cannot trust Putin and the Putin government” and expressed uncertainty on whether to accept the official Russian announcement. They lie all the time.

If this is the case, however, I want Putin and everyone around him—his allies and the government—to understand that they will be held accountable for the harm they caused to my husband, my family, and our nation. And this day is quickly approaching,” she said.

The death of Navalny also sparked a wave of sadness among Russian expatriates.

Hundreds of Russians and other people burned candles and placed flowers outside the Russian consulate in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago, tens of thousands of Russians have relocated to Serbia, another Slavic nation.

In Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, where a significant Russian inflow has also occurred since the invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of people gathered. Some carried signs that said, “We will not forgive” and “Putin is the killer.” A similar demonstration drew up to 300 participants in Batumi, the third-largest city in Georgia.

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, which saw a large influx of Russian immigrants after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, also saw protests.

Hundreds of demonstrators chanted “Russia without Putin!” and “Russia will be free!” in front of the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv, the country where a sizable population of Russian immigrants resides.

Along with other European cities, the capitals of Latvia, Bulgaria, and Estonia as well as Berlin and Paris saw large-scale protests.

Global outcry against the Kremlin, which has launched an unprecedented assault on opposition in recent years, and compassion for Navalny’s family were expressed.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an exiled Russian tycoon who became an opposition figure in exile, stated on the internet, “If this is true, then no matter the formal cause, the responsibility for the premature death is Vladimir Putin personally, who first gave the green light to the poisoning of Alexei and then put him in prison.”

He was repeated by other opposition activists from Russia.

“If Alexei’s death is indeed a murder, then it is proven.” opposition lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov said on social media that incident was “organized by Putin.” “Even if Alexei passed away from ‘natural’ causes,’ those were brought on by his poisoning and additional torture while incarcerated.”

“Putin tried and failed to murder Navalny quickly and secretly with poison, and now he has murdered him slowly and publicly in prison,” said former world chess champion and current Kremlin opponent Garry Kasparov.

The foreign-born Kasparov wrote, “He was killed for exposing Putin and his mafia as the crooks and thieves they are.”

Leading Russian protester Pyotr Verzilov of Pussy Riot said that Navalny “was murdered in prison.” Verzilov said, “We will definitely take revenge and destroy this regime,” in a post on X.

The killing of Navalny, according to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, demonstrated that “Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people.”

The speaker described the event as “a somber reminder of the essence of Putin and his regime” and said that it ought to spur people to “join forces to protect the liberty and security of individuals who dare to oppose autocracy.”

Due to Navalny’s imprisonment, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, “it is extremely important that Russia now answer all the questions that it will be asked about the cause of death.”

“Putin’s Russia imprisoned him, trumped up charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an Arctic penal colony and now he has tragically died,” said British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, echoing her words. And for this, we need to hold Putin responsible.

According to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the announcement had many “reeling.”

He was a fierce defender of freedom, democracy, and the Russian people. He remarked, “It really demonstrates the extent to which Putin will retaliate against anyone who is fighting for the freedom of the Russian people.”

Trudeau said, “There is no doubt that Alexei Navalny is dead because he stood up to Putin and the Kremlin.”

For years, Navalny served as “a symbol of the fight against the dictatorship in Russia, of the fight for free speech, and of the fact that a person cannot be imprisoned for having a different opinion,” according to Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov.

Lawmakers and other Russian authorities were enraged at the outcry from the West.

A pro-Kremlin party leader, Sergei Mironov, said that Navalny’s demise benefits Russia’s adversaries.

Naturally, medical problems might have contributed to the demise. However, in any event, Russia’s adversaries stand to gain the most from the early death of a well-known “opposition figure,” particularly one month before the presidential election, Mironov said in an online statement. “They’ll make the most of it to put pressure on us from the outside and to mess with the domestic situation.”

“The immediate reaction of NATO leaders to Navalny’s death in the form of direct accusations against Russia is self-exposing,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

While the killing was still under investigation, she said that “the West’s conclusions are already ready.”