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.”
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.”
Timeline around Navalny’s death:
A timeline published by Gulagu.net, a human rights group, revealed:
February 14: Several officers from the FSB, the Russian intelligence service, are said to have paid a visit to “Polar Wolf” prison — and proceeded to disconnect and dismantle some of the security cameras and listening devices there.
February 16, 2.17pm local time: Navalny, 47, was officially reported to have died.
February 16, 2.19pm: The prison service put out what appeared to be a prepared press release.
It read: “On February 16, 2024, in correctional colony No. 3, convict Navalny A.A. felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness.”
February 16, 2.23pm: A state-controlled channel on the Telegram messaging site claimed the cause of death was a blood clot, or thrombosis.
February 16, 2.30pm: Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, fronted the media about Navalny’s death.
February 16: US President Joe Biden blasted: “Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Even in prison he was a powerful voice for the truth.”
February 16: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Obviously, Putin killed him.”
February 17: Navalny’s mum Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, said to be told she couldn’t see her son until an “examination” was completed.
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]
CHRISTIAN Brueckner – the man suspected of snatching Madeleine McCann – has started moaning about the impact his new trial is having on him.
The convicted sex offender has also complained about the “awful” conditions he is having to deal with behind bars.
Christian Brueckner has been moaning about the impact a new trial is having on him and how bad his life in prison has beenBrueckner beside his lawyer, Dr Friedrich FulscherNewsflash
Brueckner is the man suspected of snatching Madeleine McCann in 2007[/caption]
Dan Charity
Handcuffed Brueckner arriving in court for the alleged rape of three women and sexually molesting children[/caption]
Dan Charity
Fulscher has blamed Brueckner’s dwindling health on the media[/caption]
A source told The Sun: “Brueckner has been moaning a lot about the impact this trial has had on him.
“He thinks he is paraded as part of a game the police are playing and that the whole thing is just designed to try and make him crack up.
“He knows the police want him to confess to things he’s not responsible for.”
The source continued describing how Brueckner feels like he is in constant danger from other prisoners as he spends his days in a jail cell.
“No-one has any sympathy for him, apart from his legal team. They have raised concerns on his behalf about the awful conditions he says that he’s being kept in while behind bars,” they said.
“He’s forever moaning about his cell and the risk he is at from other inmates.”
Brueckner’s lawyer has previously whinged about their clients dwindling health.
Dr Friedrich Fülscher said: “He’s been two years in solitary confinement, so of course he is not healthy.”
Dr Fülscher admitted Brueckner was “in poor physical health” and even blamed the media for his client’s stress.
Speaking to German TV the lawyer said: “Brueckner found the media presence extremely stressful because the media are here for the Madeleine case, not this one.
“He is in poor physical health.”
Brueckner has been moved from Oldenburg prison in northern Germany to Schnedebruch near Hannover, according to MailOnline.
With the sex offender even labelling his guards as “punishers”.
Brueckner’s complaints come a day after pictures showed him appearing in court facing a string of violent sex crimes in and around the resort where the young girl vanished back in 2007.
Brueckner’s latest trial is not related to the McCann case but cops are hoping that a string of witnesses giving evidence might lead them to discover a chilling overlap.
Although the current allegations are thought to have all come from the probe into the missing girl.
Prosecutors allege Brueckner raped three women and sexually molested children in Portugal twice.
His alleged victims include Irish mum Hazel Behan, who says he raped her when she was 20 and working as a holiday rep in Portugal in 2004.
He is also charged with raping and abusing a teenage girl and a 70 to 80-year-old woman at his house in Praia da Luz between December 2000 and June 2006.
Further sickening allegations the court heard were that he masturbated in front of a girl at a playground in Messines in June 2017.
He also faces claims he did the same in front of another girl, on Salema beach, Portugal, in April 2007.
Brueckner, currently serving a seven-year sentence for rape, faces up to 15 years behind bars if convicted.
If found not guilty he would be free in two years when his current jail term ends.
He denies all the charges against him.
LINK TO MADELEINE
Brueckner was identified four years ago as the main suspect in the abduction of Madeleine from her family’s holiday flat in Portugal in 2007.
The three-year-old vanished from an apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve while holidaying with parents Kate and Gerry, 55, of Rothley, Leics.
German investigators believe Brueckner abducted and murdered her – although no charges have been filed against him.
They previously felt they had “hit a brick wall” with the investigation as no new leads had come forward for months.
The source told us: “Detectives hope the trial will offer new information and areas they can focus on.
“They are getting virtually no support from cops in Portugal who ruled out Christian B a while ago. As far as they’re concerned, linking him to Maddie is a nonsense.”
They are hoping the fallout from the new case could finally reveal crucial details about the toddler’s disappearance in Portugal.
Key dates in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance
MADELEINE McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 – and cops believe Brueckner could have been behind her disappearance.
Almost 17 years on, no one has been charged in connection. These are the key dates:
May 3, 2007 – Kate McCann finds Madeleine missing at 10pm
May 14, 2007 – Property developer Robert Murat is named an “arguido” or formal suspect
August 31,2007 – The McCanns launch libel action against Tal e Qual – a newspaper that claimed the couple killed Madeleine
September 7, 2007 – Kate and Gerry McCann are made “arguidos”
September 9, 2007– Madeleine’s parents return to England with their two-year-old twins
October 2, 2007– Lead detective Goncalo Amaral is taken off the case after criticising British police in a newspaper interview
July 21, 2009 – Portuguese police lift the “arguido” status of both Robert Murat and the McCanns
May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Scotland Yard launches a review into the case
April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive
July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance
October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found
November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together
October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance
A man being carried away in St. Petersburg, Russia after attending a service[/caption]
AP
Police officers arrested hundreds in Russia for protesting the death of Alexei Navalny[/caption]
PA
David Cameron called for Putin to be ‘held accountable’ for his and Russia’s role in the death of Navalny[/caption]
Reuters
A woman battling against cops as they take her away from the protests in Moscow[/caption]
AP
Russian cops detaining a woman in St. Petersburg, Russia on Friday after she laid down flowers by a memorial[/caption]
Rex
Protesters held placards in London that called Vladimir Putin a war criminal[/caption]
Rex
Hundreds of activists held a vigil outside the Russian embassy in London[/caption]
The UK Foreign Secretary labelled Navalny, 47, “an incredibly brave fighter against corruption” in Russia before he spoke out against Putin’s Russia.
He said: “We should be clear about what has happened here. Putin’s Russia imprisoned him, trumped up charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to a Arctic penal colony and now he has tragically died.
“We should hold Putin accountable for this and no one should be in any doubt about the dreadful nature of Putin’s regime in Russia after what has just happened.”
Then when asked if Putin and Russia should face consequences by Sky News, Cameron made his stance clear.
He said: “There should be consequences… look what Putin’s Russia did to him.
“He’s died and that is because of the action that Putin’s Russia took. No one can look at this regime now and not recognise it for the truly dreadful nature that it has.”
His death was confirmed at 14:17 local time on February 16, according to a document given to Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya.
Yarmysh demanded his body was immediately handed over to his family but it has somehow gone missing in Russia, say his family.
RUSSIAN PROTESTS
A total of 231 people have been arrested in Russia for trying to place flowers to honour Navalny or protesting over his death.
These have taken place at various memorials across the country since Navalny was pronounced dead by authorities on Friday.
The OVD-Info rights group said as of February 17, “more than 101 people” had been detained across 10 cities.
Including 64 people in Russia’s second largest city of Saint Petersburg.
Eleven others were taken away by cops in Moscow as Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don and Tver all saw protesters get in trouble with the law.
The protests were over the death of Russia’s beloved opposition leader.
Navalny, Putin’s leading domestic critic in Russia, had bravely challenged the tyrant’s rule and his horrific war in Ukraine.
Many of his supporters had fears that he would be assassinated while behind bars for his strong support from the public outside of prison.
People were seen gathering across Russia to place flowers at makeshift monuments on Friday – hours after Navalny’s death was announced.
This prompted a strong police force to break up any gatherings under Kremlin orders, social media footage showed.
Protests are illegal in Russia under strict anti-dissent laws and authorities have fiercely clamped down on any rallies supporting Navalny for years.
Authorities in the Russian capital said they were aware of calls online “to take part in a mass rally in the centre of Moscow” and warned people against attending.
WORLDWIDE REACTIONS
Protesters gathered outside the London embassy chanting critical slogans against Putin, such as ‘Putin in is a murderer’, ‘the war must stop’ and ‘love is stronger than the war’.
Many chanted slogans critical of Vladimir Putin, whom they blamed for the activist’s death, holding up signs calling him a “killer” and demanding accountability.
One signs read: “Putin in is a murderer.”
As two others showed “the war must stop” and “love is stronger than the war”.
US President Joe Biden said in remarks from the White House: “Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”
He added: “Even in prison he was a powerful voice for the truth.”
In Berlin, a crowd of around 500 to 600 people gathered on the city’s Unter den Linden boulevard chanting in a mixture of Russian, German and English.
Some shouted “Putin to the Hague”, referring to the international criminal court investigating possible war crimes committed in Ukraine.
Police used barriers to close off the road between the Russian embassy and the crowd.
“Alexei Navalny is the leader of the Russian opposition and we always kept hope in his name,” said a Russian man draped in a blue-and-white anti-war flag, giving his name only as Ilia.
In Lithuania, formerly run from Moscow but now a member of NATO and the European Union, protesters placed flowers and candles by a portrait of Navalny.
“He was always with us, so it is all surreal,” said Lyusya Shtein, 26, a Pussy Riot activist who has lived in Vilnius since leaving Russia in 2022.
“None of us yet understand what happened,” she added.
In Russia itself, prosecutors warned Russians against participating in any mass protest in Moscow.
Police watched as some Russians came to lay roses and carnations at a monument to victims of Soviet repression in the shadow of the former KGB headquarters.
Groups also gathered in Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sofia, Geneva and The Hague.
More than 100 protesters stood outside Russia’s London embassy, holding placards that called Putin a war criminal.
While in Lisbon hundreds held a silent vigil.
Pavel Elizarov, a 28-year-old Russian living in Portugal, said Navalny had been “a symbol of freedom and hope.”
Near the Russian embassy in Paris, where around 100 protesters gathered, Natalia Morozov said Navalny had also been a symbol of hope for her.
What we know so far…
Officials at the ‘Polar Wolf’ jail where Navalny was held claim he collapsed during a walk outside and died
Ukraine’s Zelensky and Latvian president Rinkevics claim Putin murdered the Kremlin critic
The dad-of-two, aged just 47, had sent his wife a heartfelt Valentine’s letter days before his reported death
His mum Lyudmila said she saw Navalny a few days ago and he seemed healthy and cheerful
Navalny was last pictured appearing in court via video link – he looked thin and had a shaved head
The Kremlin enemy had spent 308 days locked up in Russia on trumped-up charges – including for extremism and terrorism
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Putin should be ‘held accountable’
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said she has had no official confirmation of his death – but a lawyer is investigating
Morozov said: “It’s hard for me to express my emotions, because I’m really shaken.
“Now we no longer have hope for the beautiful Russia of the future“.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia, was in Munich on Friday, where a vigil also took place.
She told the Munich Security Conference she could not be sure her husband was dead because “Putin and his government… lie incessantly”.
On the other side of the Atlantic, at a vigil outside the Russian consulate in New York City, Violetta Soboleva said she had volunteered for Navalny’s presidential campaign in 2017.
“I really believed that he’s the one and he can lead Russia to a better future,” said Soboleva, a Russian studying for her doctorate in New York.
She continued: “And now we’ve lost this future forever.”
AP
Cops kept a close eye on a man as he lays flowers on a makeshift Alexei Navalny monument[/caption]
A girl holding up a sign at the Russian embassy in LondonHundreds gathered in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaPutin has been accused by Cameron and others for playing a role in Navalny’s deathProtesters in Berlin, GermanyAcross the world people went to protests and memorial services to pay their respects to the Kremlin criticAPAP
A woman holds flowers and a portrait of Navalny in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin, Germany[/caption]
AP
People place candles and flowers in Lisbon[/caption]
Putin’s opponents die in mysterious circumstances
By Nick Parker
TRAGIC Navalny is the latest in a long line of Putin opponents and rivals to die in mysterious circumstances.
His death came just six months after the Russian tyrant’s last public challenger – Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin – died in a fireball jet smash believed to have been caused by a bomb.
Warlord Prigozhin’s days were numbered after he launched a failed coup in which his troops turned on Moscow – and Putin is thought to have directly ordered the air “accident”.
Scores of political opponents, oligarchs and insubordinate business chiefs have met similar suspicious fates in recent years as paranoid Putin shored up his power base.
They include politician Boris Nemtsov, killed with six shots in the back and head in February 2015 on a Moscow bridge; top Russian journalist and Putin critic Anna Politkovskaya who was shot dead in an elevator in June 2014 and Alexander Litvinenko who died in agony in London after being poisoned with radioactive polonium tea in 2006.
Putin agents also attempted to kill Russian turncoat Sergei Skripal with Novichok after he fell foul of the Kremlin regime and fled to Salisbury, Wilts.
Putin appeared sickeningly cheerful as he greeted people mere hours later at a public event.
In a press conference, US President Biden had his say on the death of Navalny.
He said: “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”
“What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality,” Biden continued.
“Putin does not only target the citizens of other countries. He also inflicts terrible crimes on his own people.”
Latvian president Edgars Rinkevics raged on X that Navalny was “brutally murdered by the Kremlin”.
And Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy raged: “Obviously, Putin killed him”.
Navalny, one of Putin’s greatest enemies, was locked away on trumped-up charges after a sham trial and has been vocal about his fears of assassination.
He was first picked up by Vlad’s brutal police in 2021 after returning to Russia following an assassination attempt.
In total he spent 308 days banged up – and there were reports that a sadistic Putin even demanded to see live footage of the 47-year-old undergoing punishment and being humiliated by guards.
Prison chiefs said his death was confirmed at 2.17pm local time but confusion has clouded the shock news.
Navalny’s legal team had received no formal confirmation of his death and his frantic family are still seeking proof that the reports are not more Kremlin lies.
Exiled Russian politician Dmitry Gudkov has fumed that even if Putin did not have Navalny assassinated – his death would still be the tyrant’s fault.
“Even if Alexey died from ‘natural’ causes, they were caused by his poisoning and further prison torture. Blood is on Putin,” he fumed.
A statement from prison officials today read: “On February 16, 2024, in correctional colony No. 3, convict Navalny A.A. felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness.”
An ambulance reached the brutal jail in just seven minutes – getting to Navalny’s side in another two, Interfax reported.
“The doctors who arrived at the scene continued the resuscitation measures that were already being provided by the penal colony’s doctors,” said the local hospital.
“And they spent more than half an hour. However, the patient died.”
He was seen for the last time in court – via video link.
His head was shaved and he looked thin – but appeared to be keeping positive and even made some jokes.
Navalny in hospital with his wife Yulia at his bedsideAP
Russians gathered to make their feelings known on Putin as they spoke on their love and respect for Navalny[/caption]
Getty
Flowers and signs are placed outside the Russian Consulate for Navalny[/caption]
Getty
People gather in front of the Russian Embassy in Madrid, Spain[/caption]
Splash
United States President Joe Biden called Putin responsible for the death of Navalny[/caption]
Reuters
Navalny was locked up on bogus charges at the ‘Polar Wolf’ Colony[/caption]
AP
A woman lights a candle in Sofia, Bulgaria[/caption]
AFP
Protesters stood outside the Russian embassy in Prague[/caption]
AP
A poster with a portrait of Navalny with words reading ‘Alexei Navalny killed by the fascist regime’[/caption]
The life of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s biggest critic
HERE is a timeline that shows how the leader of the opposition went from the face of freedom in Russia and the Kremlin’s biggest foe to a hellhole Siberian prison – and possibly an early grave.
June 4, 1976 — Navalny is born in a western part of the Moscow region 1997 — Graduates from Russia’s RUDN university, where he majored in law 2004 — Forms a movement against rampant over-development in Moscow 2008 — Gains notoriety for calling out corruption in state-run corporation December 2011 — Participates in mass protests sparked by reports of widespread rigging of Russia’s election, and is arrested and jailed for 15 days for “defying a government official” March 2012 – Further mass protests break out and Navalny accuses key Kremlin cronies of corruption July 2012 — Russia’s Investigative Committee charges Navalny with embezzlement. He rejects the claims and says they are politically motivated 2013 — Navalny runs for mayor in Moscow July 2013 — A court in Kirov convicts Navalny of embezzlement in the Kirovles case, sentencing him to five years in prison – he appeals and is allowed to continue campaign September 2013 — Official results show Navalny finishes second in the mayor’s race February 2014 — Navalny is placed under house arrest December 2014 — Navalny and his brother, Oleg, are found guilty of fraud February 2016 — The European Court of Human Rights rules that Russia violated Navalny’s right to a fair trial November 2016 — Russia’s Supreme Court overturns Navalny’s sentence December 2016 — Navalny announces he will run in Russia’s 2018 presidential election February 2017 — The Kirov court retries Navalny and upholds his five-year suspended sentence from 2013 April 2017 – Survives an assassination attempt he blames on Kremlin December 2017 — Russia’s Central Electoral Commission bars him from running for president August, 2020 – Navalny falls into a coma on a flight and his team suspects he was poisoned. German authorities confirm he was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent Jan 2021 — After five months in Germany, Navalny is arrested upon his return to Russia Feb 2021 — A Moscow court orders Navalny to serve 2 ½ years in prison June 2021 — A Moscow court shuts down Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his extended political network Feb 2022 — Russia invades Ukraine March 2022 — Navalny is sentenced to an additional nine-year term for embezzlement and contempt of court 2023 — Over 400 Russian doctors sign an open letter to Putin, urging an end to what it calls abuse of Navalny, following reports that he was denied basic medication & suffering from slow poisoning April, 2023 — Navalny from inside prison says he was facing new extremism and terrorism charges that could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life Aug 2023 – A court in Russia extends Navalny’s prison sentence by 19 years Dec 2023 – He disappears from his prison as his team fear he could be assassination. He then reappears weeks later in one of Siberia’s toughest prisons – the ‘Polar Wolf’ colony
Vladimir Putin visits a plant in Russia today and smiles to himself as he makes the roundsThe last picture of Navalny behind bars in Russia – appearing via video link in court yesterdayNavalny in hospital with his wife Yulia at his bedside
Reuters
Navalny was locked up on bogus charges at the ‘Polar Wolf’ Colony[/caption]
AFP
Protestors today stood outside the Russian embassy in Prague[/caption]
But Putin appeared sickeningly cheerful as he greeted people mere hours later at a public event.
In a press conference, US President Biden had his say on the death of Navalny.
He said: “Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”
“What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality,” Biden continued.
“Putin does not only target the citizens of other countries. He also inflicts terrible crimes on his own people.”
Latvian president Edgars Rinkevics raged on X today that Navalny was “brutally murdered by the Kremlin”.
And Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy raged: “Obviously, Putin killed him”.
Defiant Russians have lined the streets in Moscow to pay tribute to Navalny after the bombshell reports.
Powerful pictures showed dozens of people crowded together holding up photographs of the Kremlin critic and emotional signs.
Navalny, one of Putin’s greatest enemies, was locked away on trumped-up charges after a sham trial and has been vocal about his fears of assassination.
He was first picked up by Vlad’s brutal police in 2021 after returning to Russia following an assassination attempt.
In total he spent 308 days banged up – and there were reports that a sadistic Putin even demanded to see live footage of the 47-year-old undergoing punishment and being humiliated by guards.
Officials at the ‘Polar Wolf’ jail where Navalny was held claim he collapsed during a walk outside and died today
Ukraine’s Zelensky and Latvian president Rinkevics claim Putin murdered the Kremlin critic
The dad-of-two, aged just 47, had sent his wife a heartfelt Valentine’s letter days before his reported death
His mum Lyudmila said she saw Navalny a few days ago and he seemed healthy and cheerful
Navalny was last pictured yesterday appearing in court via video link – he looked thin and had a shaved head
The Kremlin enemy had spent 308 days locked up in Russia on trumped-up charges – including for extremism and terrorism
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Putin should be ‘held accountable’
Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said she has had no official confirmation of his death – but a lawyer is investigating
Prison chiefs said his death was confirmed at 2.17pm local time but confusion has clouded the shock news.
Navalny’s legal team had received no formal confirmation of his death and his frantic family are still seeking proof that the reports are not more Kremlin lies.
His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said she has had no confirmation of his death – but his lawyer is dashing to the jail to find out more.
She said: “The [prison service] in the Yamalo-Nenets region is spreading the news about the death of Alexei Navalny.
TRAGIC Navalny is the latest in a long line of Putin opponents and rivals to die in mysterious circumstances.
His death came just six months after the Russian tyrant’s last public challenger – Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin – died in a fireball jet smash believed to have been caused by a bomb.
Warlord Prigozhin’s days were numbered after he launched a failed coup in which his troops turned on Moscow – and Putin is thought to have directly ordered the air “accident.”
Scores of political opponents, oligarchs and insubordinate business chiefs have met similar suspicious fates in recent years as paranoid Putin shored up his power base.
They include politician Boris Nemtsov, killed with six shots in the back and head in February 2015 on a Moscow bridge; top Russian journalist and Putin critic Anna Politkovskaya who was shot dead in an elevator in June 2014 and Alexander Litvinenko who died in agony in London after being poisoned with radioactive polonium tea in 2006.
Putin agents also attempted to kill Russian turncoat Sergei Skripal with Novichok after he fell foul of the Kremlin regime and fled to Salisbury, Wilts.
“For many years we cannot trust Putin and the Putin government. They always lie.
“But if this is true, I want Putin and everyone around him to know that they will be held accountable for everything they did to our country, to my family. And this day will happen very soon.
“I want to call on the international community and all people to unite and defeat this evil.”
Exiled Russian politician Dmitry Gudkov has fumed that even if Putin did not have Navalny assassinated – his death would still be the tyrant’s fault.
“Even if Alexey died from ‘natural’ causes, they were caused by his poisoning and further prison torture. Blood is on Putin,” he fumed.
A statement from prison officials today read: “On February 16, 2024, in correctional colony No. 3, convict Navalny A.A. felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness.”
An ambulance reached the brutal jail in just seven minutes – getting to Navalny’s side in another two, Interfax reported.
“The doctors who arrived at the scene continued the resuscitation measures that were already being provided by the penal colony’s doctors,” said the local hospital.
“And they spent more than half an hour. However, the patient died.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron echoed comments made by Navalny’s wife today and said: “Putin’s Russia imprisoned him, trumped up charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an arctic penal colony, and now he’s tragically died.
“We should hold Putin accountable for this. And no one should be in any doubt about the dreadful nature of Putin’s regime in Russia after what has just happened.”
UN chief Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation into the reported death.
“The Secretary-General is shocked by the reported death in detention of opposition figure Alexei Navalny,” Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Guterres called “for a full, credible and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Navalny’s reported death in custody,” Dujarric added.
The life of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s biggest critic
HERE is a timeline that shows how the leader of the opposition went from the face of freedom in Russia and the Kremlin’s biggest foe to a hellhole Siberian prison – and possibly an early grave.
June 4, 1976 — Navalny is born in a western part of the Moscow region 1997 — Graduates from Russia’s RUDN university, where he majored in law 2004 — Forms a movement against rampant over-development in Moscow 2008 — Gains notoriety for calling out corruption in state-run corporation December 2011 — Participates in mass protests sparked by reports of widespread rigging of Russia’s election, and is arrested and jailed for 15 days for “defying a government official” March 2012 – Further mass protests break out and Navalny accuses key Kremlin cronies of corruption July 2012 — Russia’s Investigative Committee charges Navalny with embezzlement. He rejects the claims and says they are politically motivated 2013 — Navalny runs for mayor in Moscow July 2013 — A court in Kirov convicts Navalny of embezzlement in the Kirovles case, sentencing him to five years in prison – he appeals and is allowed to continue campaign September 2013 — Official results show Navalny finishes second in the mayor’s race February 2014 — Navalny is placed under house arrest December 2014 — Navalny and his brother, Oleg, are found guilty of fraud February 2016 — The European Court of Human Rights rules that Russia violated Navalny’s right to a fair trial November 2016 — Russia’s Supreme Court overturns Navalny’s sentence December 2016 — Navalny announces he will run in Russia’s 2018 presidential election February 2017 — The Kirov court retries Navalny and upholds his five-year suspended sentence from 2013 April 2017 – Survives an assassination attempt he blames on Kremlin December 2017 — Russia’s Central Electoral Commission bars him from running for president August, 2020 – Navalny falls into a coma on a flight and his team suspects he was poisoned. German authorities confirm he was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent Jan 2021 — After five months in Germany, Navalny is arrested upon his return to Russia Feb 2021 — A Moscow court orders Navalny to serve 2 ½ years in prison June 2021 — A Moscow court shuts down Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and his extended political network Feb 2022 — Russia invades Ukraine March 2022 — Navalny is sentenced to an additional nine-year term for embezzlement and contempt of court 2023 — Over 400 Russian doctors sign an open letter to Putin, urging an end to what it calls abuse of Navalny, following reports that he was denied basic medication & suffering from slow poisoning April, 2023 — Navalny from inside prison says he was facing new extremism and terrorism charges that could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life Aug 2023 – A court in Russia extends Navalny’s prison sentence by 19 years Dec 2023 – He disappears from his prison as his team fear he could be assassination. He then reappears weeks later in one of Siberia’s toughest prisons – the ‘Polar Wolf’ colony
Biden previously warned that the consequences for Russia would be “devastating” if Navalny died in prison.
In his press conference today, Biden said Navalny was “a powerful voice for the truth”.
He said: “Like millions of people around the world I’m literally both not surprised and outraged by the news.
“He bravely stood up to the corruption the violence and all of the bad things the Putin government was doing.
“In response, Putin had him prisoned he had him arrested. He sentenced him to prison he was held in isolation – even all that didn’t stop him from calling out Putin’s lies.
“Even in prison, he was a powerful voice for the truth.”
Calling on Congress to support Ukraine’s war effort, Biden continued: “This tragedy reminds us of the stakes of this moment.
“We have to provide the funding so Ukraine can keep defending itself against Putin’s vicious onslaughts and war crimes.
“You know, there was a bipartisan Senate vote that passed overwhelmingly to fund Ukraine. History is watching the House of Representatives.
“A failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.
“It’s going to go down in the pages of history, it really is, it’s consequential.
AP
A poster with a portrait of Navalny with words reading ‘Alexei Navalny killed by the fascist regime’[/caption]
Louis Wood
People gather outside the Russian embassy in London[/caption]
Navalny with his wife Yulia – he sent her a heartfelt Valentine’s day message just days before his reported death
“And the clock is ticking and this has to happen, we have to help now.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said if the claims of his death are true, it serves as further evidence of Putin’s brutality.
He was seen for the last time yesterday in court – via video link.
His head was shaved and he looked thin – but appeared to be keeping positive and even made some jokes.
Former Director of the CIA David Petraeus told Times Radio the news is a “tragedy” and described him as “the most courageous, most significant opponent of Vladimir Putin”.
The head of Navalny’s FBK party Maria Pevchikh had warned last year: “We are worried for his life.
“He’s in the hands of the very same people who tried to kill him before.
“If they once got an authorisation to murder Navalny, do they have another one now or is the last one still valid. Navalny’s life is constantly at a high risk.”
Navalny was poisoned by the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in August 2020, which he claimed was an assassination attempt by the Kremlin.
He was then thrown into prison for 19 years on trumped-up charges of extremism and fraud.
The Kremlin critic has previously warned of Putin’s desperation to silence him, after his team published a list of 200 oligarchs accused of being “directly responsible for the aggressive war launched against Ukraine.”
And a disturbing video interview earlier this year with him revealed he was suffering from mystery stomach aches, seizures and had lost 18lbs in less than a month – sparking fears of a slow poisoning.
Putin visits the Forge-and-Press Plant in Chelyabinsk todayReuters
People gather at the monument to the victims of political repressions in Saint Petersburg[/caption]
A satellite image of the prison where Navalny was locked upAP
Powerful pictures showed dozens of people crowded together holding up photographs of the Kremlin critic[/caption]
AP
Navalny, with his wife Yulia, right, daughter Daria, and son Zakhar[/caption]
AP
Lyudmila, 83, addresses people gathered to lay flowers paying their last respect to Navalny[/caption]
PA
People take part in a protest opposite the Russian Embassy in London[/caption]
THE BMW that rapper Tupac was fatally shot in has hit the market at £1.39million – and you can still see where the bullets struck.
Except for its blemished complexion, the infamous car is in surprisingly good condition with just over 120,000 miles on the clock.
SWNS
The black BMW Seven Series Sedan is being sold for £1.4million[/caption]
Enterprise
Tupac and Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight in the infamous BMW, pictured on the night Tupac was shot[/caption]
American musician Tupac Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, is among the world’s best-selling artists and widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time.
His life came to a tragic end in 1996 when he was shot four times by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by, after a boxing match at the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas strip.
Tupac died six days after the shooting, aged 25.
The black BMW Seven Series Sedan he was in at the time, which is now for sale, has since had the bullet holes splattered across its exterior patched up – but an indentation remain.
A listing for the car reads: “This is the actual car that Tupac Shakur was shot while riding in after a Fight at the MGM in Las Vegas.
“This is the first time this car has ever been up for sale or on display since his death in 1996. It has been completely restored to the condition it was in before his death and has just received a new coat of paint.
“There is a small indentation where we believe one of the bullet holes was but it is hard to tell. Other than that it is fully restored.”
The wheels of the car are the same as the ones it had at the time of the shooting, which took place about 11.15pm on September 7, 1996.
Death Row Records boss Marion “Suge” Knight was driving the car, originally leased by the American record label, at the time.
Tupac and Knight were travelling down Las Vegas Boulevard when the rapper was struck by four rounds fired from a .40-calibre Glock – twice in the chest, once in the arm, and once in the thigh.
Self-confessed gangster Keefe D – real name Duane Davis – later told cops that he and his gang “leaned over, rolled down the window, and popped them”.
He confessed during a police interview in 2008 under what he thought was an immunity deal – but the admission may now be used in court to convict him.
Keefe, 60, has denied to a Las Vegas court judge having any involvement in the murder of the rapper.
The 16-year-old confession, recorded by members of an LAPD Federal task force, was never allowed to be used against the ex Crip in any court case over a legal technicality.
But Keefe now faces the tape being presented as key evidence by the Clark County DA thanks to a legal loophole which states that any person who admits to lying in a “Proffer” – an immunity deal – automatically loses protection.
The gangster’s entire defence, as described by his special defenders, centres on him insisting that he lied about the Tupac murder for “fame and fortune”.
AFP
Keefe D appears in a Las Vegas court in October 2023 for his arraignment on murder charges in the death of Tupac[/caption]
AFP
The ‘gangster’ should be free within days, his lawyer says[/caption]
Keefe is expected to be freed from the Clark County Detention Centre in Las Vegas in a matter of days, his lawyer told The Sun.
According to the listing for the BMW, the car Tupac was in when he was shot has had several owners since he died and the most recent put it through a “full restoration”.
The listing stated: “The new owner will be provided with documentation proving ownership and history.
“Celebrity Cars has the vehicle on display in our showroom and is available for sale.
“Before any offers are submitted, we require a $20,000 (£16,000) refundable deposit to accompany any offer along with a signed confidentiality agreement.”
Who is Tupac Shakur?
TUPAC Shakur’s death sent shockwaves around the globe in 1996 – but who is he?
The musician is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
He also experienced many personal and legal troubles.
Toward the end of his career, Tupac was shot five times in the lobby of a New York recording studio and served eight months in prison on sexual abuse charges.
He was released pending an appeal of his conviction in 1995 and later signed to Marion “Suge” Knight’s label Death Row Records.
It was then that he became heavily involved in the growing East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry.
On September 7, 1996, Tupac was fatally shot four times by an unidentified assailant in a drive-by in Las Vegas.
He died six days later.
The restored BMW displayed in a Las Vegas showroommediadrumimagesSWNS
Bullet holes in the side of the car[/caption]
Images show the car is in surprisingly good conditionmediadrumimagesGetty
Rapper Tupac was shot four times while driving down Las Vegas Boulevard in 1996[/caption]
MADELEINE McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner’s trial over a string of rape charges was today suspended after just nine minutes.
Handcuffed Brueckner, 47, brazenly strode into the hearing with a blank expression on his face before the trial was adjourned after a judge’s “kill the b*****d” rant was read out in court.
Dan Charity
Christian Brueckner was in handcuffs as he walked into court[/caption]
Dan Charity
He wore a purple shirt and blue linen blazer[/caption]
Dan Charity
Brueckner remained expressionless as he stood in front of the judges[/caption]
Dan Charity
Brueckner beside his lawyer, Dr Friedrich Fulscher[/caption]
Brueckner pictured arriving at court in a police vanDan CharityDan Charity
He was seen peering out the barred window[/caption]
A police van carrying Brueckner arrives at Braunschweig Regional CourtBrueckner is suspected of abducting Madeleine, then three, 17 years agoAFP
Charges being heard during the trial at Braunschweig Regional Court are not related to Maddie, who he is suspected of abducting 17 years ago.
But just nine minutes into today’s opening hearing, the trial had to be adjourned.
His lawyer Dr Friedrich Fülscher, funded by legal aid, immediately set about trying to discredit one of the lay-judges who was set to help decide Brueckner’s verdict.
Dr Fülscher claimed she had called for the assassination of a president on social media.
He said the woman had written “kill the b*****d now” and “kill the devil”, referring to Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro.
Dr Fülscher said the remark meant she was unfit to sit on the case and could not be relied upon as far as his client was concerned.
The hearing was adjourned before Judge Christina Engelmann ruled the lay judge could not preside over the case because of the posts.
Brueckner’s hearing has now been frozen until next Friday so a replacement lay judge can be found.
Outside the court, Brueckner’s lawyer whinged it was no surprise his client looked unwell.
Dr Fülscher said: “He’s been two years in solitary confinement, so of course he is not healthy.”
Whining Dr Fülscher admitted Brueckner was “in poor physical health” and even tried to blame the MEDIA for making his client feel stressed.
Dr Fülscher told German TV: “Brueckner found the media presence extremely stressful because the media are here for the Madeleine case, not this one.
“He is in poor physical health.”
Brueckner stared blankly as he arrived at court today in a police van with bars over the window, wearing a dark green hooded jacket.
It was the first time he had been pictured since 2020 when he hobbled out of a hospital in shackles after being assaulted in prison.
While defendants in Germany have the right to obscure their faces, Brueckner unashamedly chose not to.
Photographers and TV cameras crowded around the Maddie suspect, shielded from reporters and the press by protective Perspex.
He was led to the defence bench where his handcuffs were removed and where he sat next to his lawyer Dr Friedrich Fülscher.
Brueckner was smartly dressed in suede boots, a light blue blazer, and tie-less purple shirt.
As the judges were sworn in Brueckner appeared business-like consulting papers on the desk in front of him.
Brueckner appeared at Braunschweig regional court in front of a panel of five judges – as Germany does not use a jury system.
Prosecutors allege Brueckner raped three women and twice sexually molested children in Portugal.
His alleged victims include Irish mum Hazel Behan, who says he raped her when she was 20 and working as a holiday rep in Portugal in 2004.
He is also charged with raping and abusing a teenage girl and a 70 to 80-year-old woman at his house in Praia da Luz between December 2000 and June 2006.
Further sickening allegations the court heard were that he masturbated in front of a girl at a playground in Messines in June 2017.
He also faces claims he did the same in front of another girl, on Salema beach, Portugal, in April 2007.
Key dates in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance
MADELEINE McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 – and cops believe Brueckner could have been behind her disappearace.
Almost 17 years on, no one has been charged in connection. These are the key dates:
May 3, 2007 – Kate McCann finds Madeleine missing at 10pm
May 14, 2007 – Property developer Robert Murat is named an “arguido” or formal suspect
August 31,2007 – The McCanns launch libel action against Tal e Qual – a newspaper that claimed the couple killed Madeleine
September 7, 2007 – Kate and Gerry McCann are made “arguidos”
September 9, 2007– Madeleine’s parents return to England with their two-year-old twins
October 2, 2007– Lead detective Goncalo Amaral is taken off the case after criticising British police in a newspaper interview
July 21, 2009 – Portuguese police lift the “arguido” status of both Robert Murat and the McCanns
May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Scotland Yard launches a review into the case
April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive
July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance
October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found
November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together
October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance
German drifter Brueckner is already in jail serving a seven-year sentence for rape.
A fresh conviction will keep him behind bars — as fears grow he may never be charged over Madeleine’s disappearance.
Brueckner was identified four years ago as the main suspect in the abduction of Madeleine from her family’s holiday flat in Portugal in 2007.
German investigators believe Brueckner abducted and murdered her – although no charges have been filed against him.
Ahead of his court appearance today, his lawyer shamelessly pledged to get him cleared.
Dr Fülscher said he was confident he could defend him against the allegations
He claimed the charges were part of a witch-hunt against Brueckner.
Dr Fülscher revealed he had brought in a powerful and expensive defence team, insisting: “I am convinced that there can only be an acquittal at the end of the trial.”
