THE Kremlin’s spies visited Alexei Navalny’s prison just days before he died, a source claims.

Russia announced the death of Putin’s number one enemy on Friday, seeing critics across the globe label it “murder”.

Reuters

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Critics are pointing the finger at Putin, dubbing his enemy’s death ‘murder’[/caption]

Reuters

Navalny’s mother Lyudmila Navalnaya was told she could not see his body yesterday and say her final goodbye[/caption]

Reuters

Spies were said to have visited the ‘Polar Wolf’ prison, where the dad was locked up, on Wednesday[/caption]

The Kremlin’s authorities initially said Navalny “collapsed and died” after a blot clot or thrombosis, but yesterday claimed he died of “sudden death syndrome”.

However, more details leading up to his death have been revealed in a timeline by a human rights group.

The organisation claimed several Russian spies from the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) visited the ‘Polar Wolf’ prison – where Navalny was being held – on Wednesday.

They claimed that while there the spies disconnected and dismantled some of the security cameras and listening devices inside the bleak jail.

The group also said the speed Russian authorities announced Navalny’s death was suspicious.

The dad-of-two was pronounced dead at 2.17pm but just two minutes later the prison put out a press release.

Then a mere four minutes after that a state-controlled channel on the Telegram messaging site claimed Navalny’s cause of death was a blood clot, or thrombosis.

Seven minutes later Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, fronted the media about Navalny’s death.

The Times reported the human rights organisation said: “This rapid timing can only mean one thing.

“Everything was pre-planned and co-ordinated, right down to the FSIN press release. Minute by minute. Second by second.”

However, another source claimed this could be simply explained away – perhaps Navalny died earlier than is being reported.

He claimed prisoners had already been told of the death by 10am local time – as opposed to the 2.17pm reports.

The insider said: “I think Navalny died much earlier than the time that was announced.”

It was last night claimed Russian officials are doing “everything they can to avoid handing over his body“.

Navalny’s family – and critics – believe this is a murderous cover-up, as his mother is still yet to say her final goodbyes.

His family was told yesterday Navalny’s body was still not in the morgue in Salekhard – in the Arctic Circle – where officials told the dad’s loved ones it had been taken to.

Critics have now accused crooked Russian authorities of hiding the corpse to “cover their tracks” over the 47-year-old’s demise.

Last night a source close to the Kremlin’s enemy said: “They are doing everything they can to avoid handing over the body.”

Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said earlier: “Alexei’s lawyer and his mother arrived at the Salekhard morgue.

“It was closed despite the prison saying that it was open and that Navalny’s body was there.

“The lawyer was told he was the seventh caller today… and Alexei’s body is not in the morgue.”

She said that another lawyer, who went to Salekhard’s Investigative Committee, was told: “The cause of Alexei’s death has not yet been established, a new histological examination has to be carried out.”

Ms Yarmysh added: “The results will supposedly be available next week. It’s obvious the killers want to cover their tracks and are therefore not handing over Alexei’s body, hiding it even from his mother.”

And she went on: “We know for sure that it wasn’t just a death — it was a murder.”

Navalny, Putin’s leading domestic critic in Russia, had bravely challenged the tyrant’s rule and his horrific war in Ukraine.

The dad’s supporters always feared that he would be assassinated while behind bars, and his family say he was “cheerful and healthy” in the days leading up to his death.

AFP

Tributes have poured in from across the globe for the dad-of-two[/caption]