What is known about the death of Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison

The most well-known opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin within his own country, Alexei Navalny, passed away on Friday at the Arctic prison, where he was serving a three-decade sentence.

What details of the death of Alexei Navalny do we know and don’t know?

DEATH OF ALEXEI NAVALNY

Alexei Navalny was imprisoned at Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets area, at the IK-3 penal colony, which is situated north of the Arctic Circle and 1,900 kilometers (1200 miles) northeast of Moscow.

On February 16, at 2:19 PM Moscow time (1119 GMT), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District Federal Penitentiary Service declared his death.

On February 16, 2024, inmate Alexei Navalny became ill after taking a walk in Penal Colony No. 3, nearly passing out right away.

“An ambulance team was called, and the institution’s medical staff showed up right away.”All necessary resuscitation techniques were used, but no positive results were seen.  According to the ambulance’s doctors, the prisoner had passed away. The reasons behind the deaths are being determined.”

Neither the correctional service nor the medical authorities have provided any additional information regarding the deceased.

THE “SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME”

According to Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, his mother Lyudmila, 69, had received word of his passing. According to Yarmysh, the death was reported in that notice on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time (0917 GMT).

When Alexei’s mother and lawyer came to the colony this morning, they were informed that sudden death syndrome was the reason of Navalny’s death, according to Ivan Zhdanov, who is in charge of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, on Saturday.

The phrase “sudden death syndrome” is imprecise and refers to a variety of cardiac disorders that result in abrupt cardiac arrest and death.

State-run RT was informed by an unnamed source that Navalny’s cause of death was a blood clot.

Investigative authorities informed Navalny’s mother and attorneys that the reason of Alexei Navalny’s death has not yet been ascertained by Russian detectives, Yarmysh said on Monday.

THE NOVAYA GAZETA REPORT

A “strange commotion” broke out in the prison on the evening of February 15, according to an unnamed prisoner in the same correctional colony who spoke with the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

The prisoner said that the guards increased security and expedited their nightly inspections of the inmates.

Early on February 16, there was a “total’shakedown'” of the barracks, during which officers confiscated the inmates’ mobile phones and other possessions. The prisoner stated that shortly after, a committee from the Federal Penitentiary Service’s central office arrived.

The prisoner claimed that Navalny’s death “became known” in the prison at approximately 08:00 Moscow time (0500 GMT), a few hours before the prison administration made a formal announcement about his passing. However, the ambulance didn’t show there until after Navalny’s death was confirmed.

Verification of the prisoner’s account was not possible

THE BODY Of ALEXEI NAVALNY

The location of Navalny’s body is unknown.

According to anonymous sources quoted by Novaya Gazeta, the body was brought to the Salekhard District Clinical Hospital morgue.

According to the publication, there were indications of heart massage attempts along with bruising associated with a seizure of some kind on the body. According to the publication, his heart stopped for an unknown reason.

There were reports in the Russian media that a special team of investigators from Moscow had arrived. When the post-mortem will occur is unknown.

HEALTH CONCERNS

Through a video hookup to the court, Navalny was seen laughing just the day before he passed away. He made a playful request, asking a judge to top up his personal account with a portion of his enormous pay.

The court hearing was called after Navalny got into a “argument” with a prison guard who was attempting to take away his pen, according to the online news source SOTA. Later on Thursday, Navalny wrote that he had been placed in solitary prison for 15 days.

Because Russian jails are harsh, his team had expressed concerns over and over that he might be hurt or killed.

He was put in punishment cells on several occasions for a variety of offenses, including his attitude.

Even though he made light of the circumstances, the Polar Wolf colony is regarded as one of Russia’s most brutal jails.

“The temperature hasn’t dropped below -32°C yet,” Navalny declared in January. “Nothing quite revitalizes you like a walk in Yamal at 6:30 in the morning.”

“Even at this temperature, you can walk for more than half an hour only if you manage to grow a new nose, new ears and new fingers.”

He shared a photo of his walking yard, which has three levels, concrete walls, metal bars on top, and eleven steps.

Navalny brought up a scene in the 2015 movie “The Revenant” where Leonardo DiCaprio takes refuge in a horse carcass.

That probably wouldn’t have worked in this situation. A dead horse, according to Navalny, would freeze in fifteen minutes. “This place needs an elephant—a hot, fried elephant.”

He brought up a little-known issue last year that plagues Russian prisons: malnutrition-related tooth loss.

His team reported less than a year ago that he was suffering from excruciating abdominal pain while incarcerated.