The body of Alexei Navalny is missing, his associates have claimed, fuelling claims that he was murdered by Russian authorities.
The lawyer turned politician became Vladimir Putin's main political threat and was apart of a fledgling pro-democracy movement in Russia before he was arrested. Thrown in a penal colony, many feared for Navalny's safety before it was announced yesterday by Russian authorities that he had died - less than a month ahead of an election that could gift Putin six more years in power.
Almost instantly there were reports that Russian authorities had misled over the time of Navalny's death. And western leaders point the finger of responsibility at Putin, with US President Joe Biden saying: "Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death,".
Then this morning, it emerged that Navalny's body had vanished, fuelling fears he was killed, and those responsible were seeking to hide evidence. According to Kira Yarmysh, a spokeswoman for Navalny, the body was eventually revealed to have been with held by Russian authorities who wanted to carry out a post-mortem - but lawyers were informed such investigations had already finished.
Ms Yarmysh accused Putin and Russia of roundly lying. She said: "Alexei's lawyer and his mother have arrived at the Salekhard morgue. It's closed, however, the colony has assured them it's working and Navalny's body is there. The lawyer called the phone number which was on the door. He was told he was the seventh caller today. Alexey's body is not in the morgue."
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They continued: "Another of Navalny's lawyers, who went to Salekhard's Investigative Committee, was told that "the cause of Alexey's death has not yet been established, a new histological examination has been carried out. The results will supposedly be available next week. It’s obvious that they are lying and doing everything they can to avoid handing over the body.
"Now the Investigation Committee says directly that Alexey's body will not be handed over to his relatives until the investigation is complete. An hour ago, the lawyers were told that the check was completed and no crime had been found. They literally lie every time, drive in circles and cover their tracks."
The BBC reported that the penal colony where Navalny was being held told his mother that he had died of "sudden death syndrome". The team accused Russia of murdering Navalny and withholding the body to hide evidence.
Hours after Navalny's death was reported, his widow Yulia Navalnaya made an appearance in Munich. “I want Putin and everyone around Putin, Putin’s friends, his government to know that they will bear responsibility for what they did to our country, to my family and to my husband,” she said.
Navalny was seen just one day before it was announced he had died, seemingly in good spirits as he made his jailers laughed. The 47-year-old had been jailed after he returned to Russia from Germany, following his recovery from a near-fatal poisoning attack.
Vladimir Putin has been widely held responsible for the death of Navalny (Getty Images)He was sentenced to 19 years on "extremism" charges that were roundly condemned and is just the latest of the critics and opponents of Putin's to die, or end up with lengthy prison sentences - or be forced to flee Russia.
Alexander Litvinenko had accused Putin of corruption and orchestrating the bombing of a Moscow apartment buildings as a cover to start the 1999 Chechen War. He died from poisoning. Mikhail Khodorkovsky was forced to flee the country and Boris Nemstov, a former prime minister who criticised Putin's annexation of Crimea, was shot dead in 2015.
Tributes left to Navalny displayed near a monument to the victims of political repressions in Moscow today (AFP via Getty Images)Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron warned of "consequences" for the death of Navalny. Protests and gatherings took place around the world after news emerged of the death of the jailed Russian opposition leader and footage emerged from within Russia of tributes to Navalny being destroyed.
In London, Lord Cameron summoned diplomats at the Russian Embassy and called for Mr Navalny’s death to be “investigated fully and transparently”.
Navalny was arrested after returning to Russia from Germany - following a nearly fatal poisoning attack (AFP via Getty Images)Britain has joined other western countries in condemning the Kremlin after Russia’s federal prison service said in a statement that the 47-year-old politician and anti-corruption campaigner had died. According to the agency, he became unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived but he died despite attempts to resuscitate him, it said.
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer gave his backing to the Government, telling Sky News: "Russia has to be held to account on this. The Government is right about that. It is a reminder of the constant threat of Russia. It’s one of the reasons I’m here at the Munich Security Conference to be clear about the priorities and the challenges that I see as Labour leader."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the same conference on Saturday alongside other world leaders, told those attending: "Putin kills whoever he wants. After the murder of Alexei Navalny, it’s absurd to perceive Putin as a supposedly legitimate head of a Russian state and he is a thug who maintains power through corruption and violence.
"He has just yesterday he tried to send us all a clear message as the Munich Security Conference opened, Putin murdered another opposition leader."
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