Wife Of Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Says He Was Killed By Poisoning

Navalnaya also shared unverified images purportedly showing Navalny’s prison cell after his body was taken away, highlighting a visible pool of vomit and citing prison staff accounts describing seizures.

Navalny had previously survived a Novichok nerve agent poisoning in 2020 during a Siberian campaign tour, after which he was flown to Germany for recovery.

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny Photograph: (AFP)

He was imprisoned upon his return to Russia in 2021 on charges widely regarded as politically motivated.

While incarcerated, Navalny continued his anti-Putin activism and condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine. Officials say he died suddenly after falling ill during an outdoor walk.

Delays in releasing his body to his family raised further doubts among supporters. Navalnaya maintains Putin ordered her husband’s assassination, an allegation the Kremlin denies.

Since Navalny’s death, the government intensified repression of his associates, branding his wife a “terrorist and extremist,” and imprisoning his lawyers and journalists covering his cases.

Many of Navalny’s relatives and key supporters have fled Russia. The opposition, weakened by internal divisions, struggles to maintain influence in exile.