Reactions to Navalny's death

Kremlin: The West has already drawn its own conclusions 

  

The Western world's reactions to the news of Alexei Navalny's death are "speaking", says Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to the independent Moscow Times.  

 

- There has been no forensic examination yet, but the West has already drawn its own conclusions. 

  

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin has been informed of the death. The president himself has not given any comment.  

 

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The world rages: "Never forget, never forgive" 

 

Leaders in the Western world are reacting with anger and dismay to the news of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.  

 

"Aleksey, we will never forget you. And we will never forgive them," writes Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on X.  

 

The EU holds the Russian regime solely responsible for Navalny's death, writes EU Council President Charles Michel.  

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says: 

 

- His death in a Russian prison, and (Putin's) fixation on and fear of a man, only underscores the weakness and rot of the system Putin built. Russia is responsible for this.  

 

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock writes that Navalny, like no other, was a symbol of a free and democratic Russia. 

 

“That is the very reason why he had to die.” 

 

It is clear that Putin murdered Navalny, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. 

 

“Putin doesn't care who dies as long as he gets to keep his position. And that is precisely why he should not be allowed to keep anything.

 

” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) calls the announcement "terrible".  

 

"The Russian authorities, and President Putin personally, are responsible for the fact that Alexei Navalny is no longer alive. 

 

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Navalny's wife: I don't know if we should believe the news  

 

Alexei Navalny's wife Yulia Navalnaya has commented on the Russian authorities' announcement of her husband's death, writes AFP.  

 

- I don't know if we should believe the terrible news we have heard [...] Putin and his government lie constantly, she says during the security conference in Munich.  

 

If the report is true, Navalnaya's message to Putin and his friends is "that they will not get away unpunished," she says.  

 

Navalnaya calls on the international community to unite and fight Russia's "horrible regime" and hold Putin accountable for his actions. 

  

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Analysis: Navalny's death will have a crippling effect on the opposition  

 

Navalny's organization was shattered and his death has no concrete effect on the opposition to Putin - but the symbolic value is great, says SVT's Russia correspondent Bert Sundström. 

 

- He has been the brightest shining star for those who sought hope that Russia can be changed. It will have a crippling effect on their mood. 

 

The families of the other high-profile Putin critics who are still imprisoned in Russia are probably terrified now, writes the BBC's Sarah Rainsford.  

 

"For them, and for everyone who dreams of another Russia, the outlook has never been so dark."  

 

Navalny used humor as a weapon and made millions of Russians laugh at the clumsy incompetence of Putin's state machine, including by tricking an FSB agent on the phone into confessing to the assassination attempt on him, writes DN's Ingmar Nevéus.  

 

"Now he has had to pay the ultimate price for his fearlessness. But he kept his courage up until the end.” 

 

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Biden: Putin is responsible for Navalny's death  

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny, says US President Joe Biden.  

 

- What has happened to Navalny is yet another proof of Putin's brutality, says Biden during a press conference in Washington according to Reuters. 

 

It is not yet possible to say how the Russian opposition politician died, notes Biden, but announces that the White House is investigating the matter. 

 

- He bravely stood up against the corruption, the violence and all the bad things that Putin's government carried out, says Biden.  

 

Russia's foreign ministry accuses the US of making "sweeping accusations" about who is responsible for the death.