Moscow [Russia]: Former Russian deputy energy minister Vladimir Milov said the timing of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny's disappearance was 'no coincidence', as he pointed to President Vladimir Putin's announcement to run again in the elections scheduled in 2024, CNN reported. Russian Opposition leader Navalny, who has been missing for 17 days now, was absent from two scheduled court hearings conducted via video link on Friday, according to a statement from his team.
Navalny was imprisoned in a penal colony east of Moscow and was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August after he was found guilty of creating an "extremist community, financing extremist activities" and numerous other crimes. "I think it is a deliberate tactic. It is no coincidence that Navalny disappeared exactly the moment when the so-called sham presidential elections were announced and that Putin announced that he was going to be running again," Milov said. "Putin is really willing to show that he is going to enter the Kremlin for another term through intimidation, through repression, through pressure on society, and that is clearly a blackmail on all the opposition forces," Milov added. Navalny's team said the prominent politician has now been missing for 17 days, with his current whereabouts unknown. "Today Alexey was supposed to have two trials. He was again not brought to the meetings. Navalny has never been hidden for so long," Navalny's team said in a Telegram post. The unprecedented duration of Navalny's absence from public view has also sparked concerns about his well-being and safety, according to CNN.  With Navalny missing for days now, his aides have restated a plea for information, offering a cryptocurrency reward for complete and reliable details about his current location or status. Asked repeatedly last week about Navalny's absence, the Kremlin reported, "neither the intention nor the ability to monitor the fate of prisoners and the process of their stay in the relevant institutions." According to CNN, Navalny posed one of the most serious threats to Putin's legitimacy during his rule, which has spanned more than two decades. The dissident was taken from Russia to Germany in 2020 after he was poisoned with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent. Navalny had to be airlifted from the Siberian city of Omsk and arrived comatose at a hospital in Berlin. Navalny was immediately incarcerated upon his return to Russia in January 2021, on charges of violating the terms of his probation related to a fraud case brought against him in 2013, which he also dismissed as politically motivated, CNN reported.  He has also campaigned from prison against Russia's war against Ukraine and has even attempted to mobilize public opposition to the war.
—ANI

Former Russian deputy energy minister Vladimir Milov said the timing of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny's disappearance was 'no coincidence'

Former Russia minister says its 'no coincidence' Putin critic Alexei Navalny is missing

Washington: US President Joe Biden on Friday blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Alexei Navalny's death and warned there could be consequences, saying he was "not surprised" but "outraged" by the opposition leader's passing.
"We don't know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that the death of Nalvany was a consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did," Biden said at the White House after Russian prison officials announced that Navalny had died.  "Russian authorities are going to tell their own story," Biden said. "But make no mistake. Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny's death."  He also said he was "contemplating" additional steps to punish Russia in the aftermath of Navalny's death, paying tribute to the opposition leader for "bravely" standing up to Putin's government's "corruption" and "violence."
"We're contemplating what else can be done," Biden said in response to questions from reporters. "We're looking at a whole number of options, that's all I'll say right now."  Biden also told reporters that there was "no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world with what Russia is doing at the moment," even as Russia considered deploying anti-satellite technology in space. Russia has previously denied the claim.  The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what possible steps against Russia were being evaluated.  U.S. officials were still seeking more information about Navalny's death at a Russian penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, where he was dispatched less than two months ago.  But the development, and Biden's reaction, has put a further chill into already bitter US-Russian relations.  The 47-year-old Navalny had been a leading critic of Putin, and Biden had said after meeting Putin in Geneva in June 2021 that Nalvany's death would risk devastating consequences for Putin.  Biden and Putin remain deeply at odds over Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, over which Russia has been sanctioned by the United States and other Western nations, and Biden is urging Republican hardliners in the US Congress to support additional funding to pay for more weaponry for Ukraine's military.  Russia has figured prominently on the campaign trail as Biden seeks reelection in November.  His expected Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, triggered bipartisan outrage last week by saying he would do nothing to defend NATO allies from Russia unless they paid a greater share for the common defenses.  The top Republican in Congress, House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, has not put a Senate bill including $95.34 billion in security assistance for Ukraine and Israel, international humanitarian aid and resources to help allies in the Indo-Pacific up to a vote.  After Navalny's death, Johnson said the US and its allies should use "every means available to cut off Putin's ability to fund his unprovoked war in Ukraine and aggression against the Baltic states."  "History's watching the House of Representatives. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten," Biden said.  In Munich for a major security conference, Vice President Kamala Harris vowed that the US would never retreat from its NATO alliance obligations put in place after World War Two, contrasting Biden's approach to global engagement with presidential election hopeful Trump's isolationist views.  She also met with Alexei Navalny's wife Yulia on the margins of the conference and "expressed her sorrow and outrage" over reports of her husband's death, a White House official said.  Biden's presidential reelection campaign on Friday released a new minute-long advertisement blasting Trump for abandoning NATO. They planned to target the ad to 2.5 million American voters in the closely contested election states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania who trace their ancestry to the NATO states bordering Russia.
—Reuters

Biden blames Putin for Navalny's death, contemplates consequences, and faces challenges in US-Russian relations. Harris reaffirms NATO commitment.

Joe Biden says 'Putin and his thugs' caused Navalny's death

Moscow: The hundreds of flowers and candles laid in Moscow on Friday to honour the memory of Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, were mostly taken away overnight in black bags.
Russia's prison service said that Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" Arctic penal colony.  Several dozen roses and carnations remained in the softening snow on Saturday at the monument to the victims of Soviet repression, which sits in the shadow of the former KGB headquarters on Lubyanka Square in central Moscow.  Vladimir Nikitin, 36, was alone laying a carnation at the Solovetsky Stone, which hails from the islands with the same name in the White Sea where one of the first "Gulag" forced labour camps was founded in 1923 by the Bolsheviks.  Policemen looked on.
When asked for an interview by Reuters, Nikitin asked to speak in the underpass which threads beneath Lubyanka Square, citing the fear of detention.  "Navalny's death is terrible: hopes have been smashed," Nikitin said.  "Navalny was a very serious man, a brave man and now he is no longer with us. He spoke the truth - and that was very dangerous because some people didn't like the truth."  The West, including US President Joe Biden, blamed President Vladimir Putin for the death.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the reaction of Western leaders to the death was unacceptable and "absolutely rabid".
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 Russian authorities viewed Navalny and his supporters as extremists with links to the CIA intelligence agency who are seeking to destabilise Russia. They have outlawed his movement, forcing many of his followers to flee abroad.  The death of Navalny, a former lawyer, robs the disparate Russian opposition of its most charismatic and courageous leader as Putin prepares for an election that will keep the former KGB spy in power until at least 2030.  DEATH IN PRISON  The OVD-Info protest-monitoring group said more than 110 people had been arrested across Russia at meetings and memorials to Navalny, including 64 in Russia's former imperial capital, St Petersburg.
Navalny rose to prominence more than a decade ago by documenting and poking fun at about what he said was the vast corruption and opulence of the "crooks and thieves" running Putin's Russia.  At the time of his death he was serving prison sentences totalling more than 30 years on a host of charges of extremism and fraud, which he denied and said were politically motivated.  Navalny's supporters - including in the West - cast him as a Russian version of South Africa's Nelson Mandela, who would one day walk free to lead the country. His spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said there was "almost no hope" that he was alive.  His wife, Yulia, told the Munich Security Conference that Putin bore responsibility for her husband's death and that the world should come together to defeat the "horrific regime" in Moscow and reclaim Russia.  Some Russians, though, dismissed such a view as a classic case of wishful thinking, and pointed to an opinion poll showing that most Russians disapproved of him and that Putin was vastly more popular.  "Navalny's death is very beneficial to Putin's opponents," said Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser.  "They will use it to undermine the legitimacy of the presidential election in Russia, use it to not recognise Putin as the legitimate president. They are trying to present Putin not as the president of a hostile country, but as a criminal with whom no one should have to deal."
News of Navalny's death came just hours before Ukraine withdrew from the south of the city of Avdiivka, paving the way for Russia's biggest advance in the country since May 2023.  WEST 'NOT OUR FRIEND'  At "Patriki", or Patriarch's Ponds, the centre of Moscow nightlife, many young Russians revelled away Friday night just hours after news of Navalny's death. There was no sign of sadness.  "It is sad of course when anybody dies," Olga Kazakova, a Russian, told Reuters in central Moscow on Saturday.  "But you in the West paint him as someone he was not. The West is not our friend - you are fighting against us in Ukraine."  On the bridge beside the Kremlin where opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead on February 27, 2015, flowers were also removed overnight. A makeshift vase of white and red carnations remained with a small printed piece of paper.  "Boris Nemtsov was shot in the back and murdered here," the note said.  Policemen looked on as children made their way through the snow piled up in the shadow of Saint Basil's Cathedral.
—Reuters

Moscow mourns Navalny's death as West blames Putin. Protests erupt, arrests reported. Navalny's wife holds Putin responsible amid skepticism.

Navalny's death leaves despair and apathy in Moscow

More than 110 people had been detained at events in Russia in memory of Alexei Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin's most formidable domestic opponent, who died on Friday, according to rights group OVD-Info.
Navalny, a 47-year-old former lawyer, fell unconscious and died on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" Arctic penal colony where he was serving a three-decade sentence, authorities said.  OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia, said more than 110 people in 13 cities across Russia had been detained at spontaneous rallies as of 0736 GMT on Saturday.
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At least 69 people had been detained in St Petersburg, OVD-Info said.  "In each police department there may be more detainees than in the published lists," OVD-Info said. "We publish only the names of those people about whom we have reliable knowledge and whose names we can publish."  Reuters could not immediately verify the count.  The hundreds of flowers and candles laid in Moscow on Friday to honour Navalny's memory were mostly taken away overnight in black bags. Russians paying their respects spoke of their despair and apathy after Navalny's death.
—Reuters

Protests in Russia after Navalny's death. Over 110 detained, Moscow mourns. OVD-Info reports spontaneous rallies. St Petersburg arrests.

Over 110 detained across Russia at rallies in memory of Navalny, rights group says

Moscow: Alexei Navalny's mother and lawyer were told at the prison colony on Saturday that he had died of "sudden death syndrome", prominent Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.
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The whereabouts of Navalny's body are currently unclear. Navalny's spokeswoman said earlier that the cause of death had not yet been determined.
—Reuters

Alexei Navalny's alleged sudden death shocks as his mother and lawyer receive the news. Investigation ongoing, details unclear.

Alexei Navalny's mother was told her son died of 'sudden death syndrome', says ally Ivan Zhdanov

Paris: France has summoned the Russian ambassador to Paris following the death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the French foreign ministry said on Tuesday, confirming earlier media reports.
The Russian ambassador was summoned on Monday, the ministry said. Germany also summoned Russia's ambassador in Berlin on Monday over Navalny's death.
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 Navalny, 47, died suddenly on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said.  Western countries and Navalny's supporters say Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. The Kremlin has denied involvement and says that Western claims that Putin was responsible were unacceptable.
—Reuters

France summons Russian ambassador over Navalny's death. International outcry as Western nations blame Putin. Kremlin denies responsibility.

France summons Russian ambassador after Navalny's death

Former US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Alexei Navalny was "a very brave man" who probably should not have returned to Russia, without assigning any blame for the Russian opposition leader's unexpected death.
Democratic President Joe Biden and other Western leaders have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny's death, as has Nikki Haley, who trails far behind Trump as his sole remaining rival for the Republican presidential nomination.  "Navalny is a very sad situation, and he is a very brave, he was a very brave guy because he went back. He could have stayed away," Trump said during a town hall interview with Fox News in South Carolina.
"And, frankly, he probably would have been a lot better off staying away and talking from outside of the country as opposed to having to go back in, because people thought that could happen and it did happen. And it's a horrible thing," he said.
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 The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalny's death and said Western claims that Putin was responsible are unacceptable.  Trump - who has expressed admiration for Putin both during his 2017-2021 White House tenure and afterward - continued to compare himself to Navalny, implying that they both had faced politically motivated prosecutions.  "But it's happening in our country too," Trump said. "We are turning into a communist country in many ways. And if you look at it - I'm the leading candidate. I get indicted."  On Sunday, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that Navalny's death in an Arctic penal colony last week had made him "more aware of what is happening" in the United States. Trump did not elaborate, but he has frequently dismissed the 91 criminal charges against him as politically motivated, a claim prosecutors deny.  Biden on Tuesday issued a blistering critique of Trump's Truth Social post on Navalny's death, saying, "Why does Trump always blame America? Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. Why can't Trump just say that?"  During the Fox News town hall, which was conducted before a live audience in Greenville four days before the state's primary contest, Trump continued to blast migrants, portraying them as a threat to public safety without offering any evidence to support his claims that they are more violent than native-born Americans.
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 At several moments, 77-year-old Trump's answers to questions veered into tangential topics.  While being asked about electric vehicles and Americans' "freedom of movement," Trump spoke about the usefulness of tariffs and described his interactions with an unnamed American dishwasher company during his time in office.  Trump praised South Carolina US Senator Tim Scott, who joined Trump on stage for the final part of the interview. The former president has privately asked associates about naming Scott, a one-time rival in the Republican nomination battle, as his running mate, sources familiar with the matter have previously said.  Tying himself to Scott may have short-term electoral benefits for the former president in the South Carolina primary, as voters choose who they want as the Republican nominee to take on Biden in the Nov. 5 election.  Trump is leading Haley, a former South Carolina governor and former ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, by more than 30 percentage points in South Carolina, according to most polls, and his team is eager to deliver a crushing blow. However, Haley has said there is no way she will drop out and that she plans to keep campaigning into March.
—Reuters

Trump calls Navalny 'brave' but questions return to Russia. Biden criticizes Trump's response. Political tensions rise over Navalny's death and Trump's Truth Social post.

'Very sad situation': Trump compares himself to Navalny

Washington: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday thrashed Republican rival Donald Trump's response to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, asking, "Why does Trump always blame America?"
After Navalny's death was reported on Friday, Biden directly blamed Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as did Trump's main rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Nikki Haley. Trump did not mention Navalny until a Monday post on his Truth Social platform that did not cast blame or express remorse, but alluded to his own legal problems as persecution and called the United States a nation in decline.
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 "The former president, Trump, and other Republicans, refuse to hold Putin accountable for his death," Biden said. "Instead, Trump said Navalny's death made him realize how bad America was. "He said and I quote, 'We are a nation in decline, a failing nation.' Why does Trump always blame America? Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. Why can't Trump just say that?" Trump, the Republican frontrunner, is likely to face Democrat Biden in a rematch in November's presidential election.
During his 2017-2021 tenure in the White House, Trump drew criticism for his praise of Putin. Last week, he suggested the United States might not protect NATO allies who do not spend enough on defense from a potential Russian invasion. Biden on Tuesday called the NATO comments dangerous. "It does nothing but encourage bad behavior," Biden said. Biden folded the criticism into a video posted in Twitter in which he urged Republicans who control the House of Representatives to pass emergency security assistance for Ukraine in its war against Russia. "We have to stand up to Putin," Biden said.&nbsp;
—Reuters

Biden slams Trump's response to Navalny's death, questions Putin's accountability. Trump's delayed reaction sparks criticism. Urgent call for action on Ukraine.

'Why does Trump always blame America?': Biden slams former US prez over Navalny

President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "crazy SOB" during a fundraiser in San Francisco on Wednesday, warning there is always the threat of nuclear conflict but that the existential threat to humanity remains climate. "This is the last existential threat. It is climate. We have a crazy SOB like that guy Putin and others and we always have to worry about nuclear conflict, but the existential threat to humanity is climate," Biden told a small group of donors.
Biden has previously cursed "son of a bitch" at others. In January 2022, he was caught on the hot mic using the same term of abuse against a Fox News White House reporter.  Biden has a tendency to go off script during election fundraisers and in recent months has dug into the Chinese government, the Republican Party and U.S. ally Israel for its bombing of the Gaza Strip.  Biden's verbal attacks against Putin have also sharply intensified at the White House and on the campaign trail. Last week, the U.S. President blamed Putin and "his thugs" for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
"We don't know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that the death of Nalvany was a consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did," Biden said at the White House after Russian prison officials announced that Navalny had died.  The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalny's death and said Western claims that Putin was responsible are unacceptable.  Biden and Putin remain deeply at odds over Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, over which Russia has been sanctioned by the United States and other Western nations. Biden's reactions have put a further chill into already bitter US-Russian relations.  On Tuesday, Biden said the US will announce a major package of sanctions against Russia over Navalny's death and the Ukraine war.  Biden's expected Republican opponent in November, former President Donald Trump, has expressed admiration for Putin both during his 2017-2021 White House tenure and afterward. However, he also recently compared himself to Navalny, implying that they both had faced politically motivated prosecutions.  "I don't know where the hell this comes from," Biden said on Wednesday reacting to Trump comparing himself to Navalny.
—Reuters

Biden labels Putin a "crazy SOB" amid rising tensions. Climate change prioritized as humanity's existential threat. US-Russia relations strained over Navalny's death and Ukraine conflict.

Biden calls Putin a 'crazy SOB' during San Francisco fundraiser

San Francisco: US President Joe Biden on Thursday met the wife and daughter of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died last week in a prison camp, and called him "a man of incredible courage".
Biden, speaking to reporters in California, reiterated that Washington plans to impose a wide array of sanctions on Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin following Navalny's death.  Navalny, 47, fell unconscious and died suddenly on Friday after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony above the Arctic Circle where he was serving a three-decade sentence, the prison service said.  "He was a man of incredible courage and it's amazing how his wife and daughter are emulating that," Biden said after meeting Navalny's wife Yulia and daughter Dasha.  "I know that we're going to be announcing the sanctions against Putin, who is responsible for his death, tomorrow."
Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said on Thursday that some of the "hundreds and hundreds and hundreds" of sanctions to be unveiled in the coming days would target those responsible for Navalny's death, but most would hit "Putin's war machine" and close gaps in existing sanctions regimes.  The new measures are timed to mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  In a statement released before Biden spoke to reporters, the White House said the president conveyed his "heartfelt condolences" to Navalny's family.  During the meeting in California, he expressed his admiration for Navalny's "extraordinary courage and his legacy of fighting against corruption and for a free and democratic Russia in which the rule of law applies equally to everyone", the White House said.
—Reuters

President Biden met with Navalny's wife and daughter, vowing wide sanctions against Russia for the opposition leader's death.

Biden meets family of deceased Putin critic Navalny, promises sanctions

Canberra [Australia]: Australia has imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on seven Russian prison officers accused of mistreating Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny at the Siberian penal colony where he recently met his demise, CNN reported. In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said, "Australia holds President Putin and the Russian Government responsible for Mr Navalny's treatment and death in custody."
Since December 2022, Australia has consistently applied "Magnitsky-style" human rights sanctions to Russian individuals, starting with penalties for those accused of poisoning Navalny in 2020. This move aligns with the broader international response, as the United States and the European Union also recently enacted sanctions against Russia in response to Navalny's death and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to CNN. The late Alexey Navalny, was known for exposing corruption, challenging the ruling United Russia party, and orchestrating significant anti-government protests. His imprisonment in 2021 triggered widespread demonstrations across Russia, resulting in numerous detentions. Even from prison, Navalny continued to denounce Russia's invasion of Ukraine through social media, urging anti-war protests nationwide. In December, Navalny was quietly transferred to a Siberian penal colony, a move that sparked a two-week search by his team after losing contact during the unannounced transfer. His death, reported by the Russian prison service, is anticipated to reverberate through Russian society, underscoring a relentless crackdown on dissent during the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, as reported by CNN. Navalny's return to Russia from Germany in 2021, where he was recovering from Novichok poisoning attributed to the Russian government, demonstrated his commitment despite acknowledged risks. Weeks before leaving Germany, he acknowledged the threats he faced, stating, "I understand that Putin hates me, I understand that people in the Kremlin are ready to kill." Concerns about Navalny's health emerged in early April 2023, with reports of severe stomach issues and weight loss. His spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, raised the possibility of gradual poisoning during his time in prison. The Kremlin, however, claimed a lack of capacity or authority to monitor the situation. Putin, consistent in not mentioning Navalny's name, dismissed media investigations into the 2020 Novichok poisoning as fabrications by Western intelligence. Navalny's death raises questions, given his past poisoning and attacks on other Kremlin opponents. In 2006, former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko died in Britain after being poisoned with polonium-210. The nerve agent Novichok nearly claimed the lives of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018, with Russia denying responsibility. In 2015, Boris Nemtsov, the most visible leader of the opposition, was assassinated on a Moscow bridge. Navalny subsequently took up Nemtsov's mantle, becoming Russia's most prominent opposition figure, CNN reported.
—ANI

Australia imposes sanctions on Russian officials over Navalny's mistreatment, blaming Putin amid rising international tensions.

Australia imposes sanctions on Russian prison officials over Navalny's death

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was close to being freed in a prisoner swap at the time of his death, a close ally said on Monday, repeating an allegation by his family and supporters that President Vladimir Putin had him killed.
Speaking on YouTube, Maria Pevchikh said talks about exchanging Navalny and two unnamed US nationals for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian FSB security service hitman in jail in Germany, were in their final stages at the time of his death.  Navalny, 47, died at an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16. The Kremlin has denied Russian state involvement in his death. Navalny's death certificate stated that he died of natural causes, according to his supporters.  "Alexei Navalny could be sitting in this seat right now, right today. That's not a figure of speech, it could and should have happened," said Pevchikh.  "Navalny should have been out in the next few days because we got a decision about his exchange. In early February, Putin was offered to exchange the killer, FSB officer Vadim Krasikov, who's serving time for a murder in Berlin, for two American citizens and Alexei Navalny."
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Krasikov was jailed for life in Germany after being convicted of killing an exiled Chechen-Georgian dissident in Berlin's Tiergarten park in 2019. Putin signalled in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson this month that he wanted to get Krasikov back.  Pevchikh said she had confirmation that negotiations for the swap were in their final stages on the evening of Feb. 15.  Navalny, she alleged, had been killed a day later because Putin could not tolerate the thought of him being free.  Pevchikh, who is based outside Russia, did not immediately disclose sources for some of her assertions or present documentary evidence.  She said that businessman Roman Abramovich had been involved in some of the talks as a mediator with Putin. There was no immediate comment from Abramovich.  Pevchikh did not name the two US nationals in contention to be swapped along with Navalny. But the United States has said it is trying to return Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Paul Whelan, a former US marine.  Russia accuses both men of espionage, something they deny.  Putin, who has yet to comment on Navalny's death, had previously said that talks between Russian and US intelligence agencies were going on behind the scenes related to Gershkovich, but had made no mention of Navalny, whose name he does not usually mention publicly.  Speaking earlier on Monday, the Kremlin had called allegations that Russian authorities had pressured the mother of Navalny over her son's funeral 'absurd,' saying Putin had not been involved in decisions on Navalny's body.  A spokeswoman for Navalny said on Friday that Russian authorities had given his 69-year-old mother Lyudmila an ultimatum: Agree within three hours to lay him to rest without a public funeral or he would be buried at the prison.  The late opposition politician's body was handed over to his mother in the Arctic city of Salekhard on Saturday. The arrangements for his burial have yet to be announced.  Asked if he would comment on the alleged official pressure put on Navalny's mother, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday:  "I can't comment in any way because the Kremlin has nothing to do with this, so the Kremlin cannot exert pressure. This is another absurd statement by these (Navalny) supporters.  "They are almost all wanted (by the Russian authorities) and almost all of them are abroad. Their statements should be treated accordingly."  Pevchikh said Navalny's allies had been working since the start of the Ukraine war on a plan to get him out of Russia as part of a prisoner exchange involving "Russian spies in exchange for political prisoners".  She said they had made desperate efforts and tried to find intermediaries, even approaching the late Henry Kissinger, but said Western governments had failed to show the necessary political will.  "Officials, American and German, nodded their heads in understanding. They recounted how important it was to help Navalny and political prisoners, they shook hands, made promises and did nothing."
—Reuters

Close ally reveals Alexei Navalny was near release in a prisoner swap before his death, sparking allegations against Putin for involvement.

Navalny was close to being freed in exchange for convicted FSB hitman, says ally

A close ally of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny urged Russians on Tuesday to turn out in big numbers for an election day protest against President Vladimir Putin next month that Navalny had called for shortly before he died.
The Kremlin warned there would be legal consequences for anyone who heeded what it called a provocative call from people it has labelled as dangerous US-backed extremists.  In a post on social media on Feb. 1, Navalny had urged Russians to register their protest by all turning out to vote at the same time, at noon on March 17. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16.  Navalny's ally Leonid Volkov, in a video published on YouTube, said the protest call was "Navalny's direct political testament", and the last call to action that he issued.
"Now this is no longer just a political action aimed at overcoming political loneliness and isolation. Now this is a rally of mourning and a civic memorial, an action in memory of Navalny, who asked us to hold it," he said.  "People will thus fulfil the last will of Alexei Navalny, so this is very important. Do it. And in the time remaining before the election, convince as many people as possible to do this."  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Navalny's supporters were well known for their "provocative" appeals to break the law, and that there would be consequences for those who heeded such appeals.  "These people, so-called supporters (of Navalny) are well know for their provocative calls - to break the laws of the Russian Federation," Peskov said.  "This is a very harmful practice and has legal and law enforcement consequences for those who respond to these calls."  Navalny had called for the "Noon against Putin" protest as a way for people to mount a show of resistance without risking arrest, as they would simply be queuing up to vote legally.  Putin is assured of winning a new six-year term in the election. Two anti-war candidates have been disqualified on technical grounds and none of the remaining three candidates is critical of the president.
—Reuters

Join the crucial protest against President Putin on election day, honoring Alexei Navalny's final call for unity and resistance. A moment to remember a hero and challenge oppression.

Navalny ally urges Russians to join election day protest in his memory, drawing Kremlin ire

Moscow: Thousands of Russians chanted opposition politician Alexei Navalny's name on Friday and said they would not forgive the authorities for his death as his mother and father attended a small funeral in a Moscow church surrounded by police.
A photograph of Navalny released on social media showed his body lying inside a flower-laden coffin inside as his mother, wearing a black headscarf and with a candle in one hand, sat alongside his father nearby.  An Orthodox priest presided over the short service, while outside, people queuing around the church who had been prevented from entering to say goodbye clapped and chanted "Navalny! Navalny!".  After his coffin had been carried out, some people chanted "Russia will be free", "No to war", "Russia without Putin", "We won't forget" and "Putin is a murderer."
Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critic inside Russia, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony on February 16, sparking accusations from his supporters that he had been murdered. The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in his death.  The authorities have outlawed his movement as extremist and cast his supporters as US-backed troublemakers out to foment revolution.  His funeral comes two weeks before a presidential election when Putin, Russia's paramount leader for over 20 years and in charge of all the levers of state, is expected to easily win another six-year term.  There was heavy security at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God, an imposing white domed building in south-east Moscow where the service was held.  People carrying flowers arrived early to try to get in and mourners queued in an orderly fashion as they waited for the service to start.  "We're all here together. Nobody is afraid," one man, who did not give his name, told a reporter from the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper. "I'm here to support his family and show that they are not alone."
Clutching red flowers, another man, who said he was 73, said he felt Navalny's death as a personal loss and had admired him for his lack of fear and plain speaking.  Another woman standing in the queue said Navalny was her hero, while a young man nearby hailed the late opposition politician as "a symbol of resistance" and said he had turned up to show that not everyone in Russia supported the authorities.  Navalny's body was then driven to the Borisovskoye cemetery, around 2.5 km (1.5 miles) away on the other side of the Moskva River. The cemetery was sealed off with crash barriers.  More than a quarter of a million people watched the events on Navalny's YouTube channel, which is blocked inside Russia. Messages, mostly expressing sadness but some also defiance, streamed down beside the video.  Allies of Navalny outside Russia have called on people who want to honour his memory but could not attend his funeral service to instead go to memorials to Soviet-era repression in their own towns on Friday evening at 7 p.m. local time.  The Kremlin said any unsanctioned gatherings in support of Navalny would violate the law.  "Just a reminder that we have a law that must be followed. Any unauthorised gatherings will be in violation of the law, and those who participate in them will be held accountable - again, in line with the current law," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.  He declined to give any assessment of Navalny as a political figure and said he had nothing to say to Navalny's family.  Rights groups offer advice to mourners  While Navalny's mother Lyudmila, 69, attended the funeral along with his father Anatoly, his wife Yulia and two children, who are living outside Russia, did not attend.
Rights groups had advised those who wanted to attend to take their passports and small bottles of water with them and told them to write down the details of lawyers who can help them in case they are detained.  Navalny was a Christian who condemned Putin's decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine as a crazy enterprise built on lies. The church that hosted his funeral has donated to the Russian army and enthusiastically advertised its backing for the war.  In the run-up to his funeral, his allies accused the authorities of blocking their plans to hold a bigger civil memorial service. The Kremlin has said it has nothing to do with Navalny's funeral arrangements.  Navalny's allies have accused Putin of having him murdered because the Russian leader could allegedly not tolerate the thought of Navalny being freed in a potential prisoner swap.  They have not published proof to back up that accusation, but have promised to set out how he was murdered and by whom.  The Kremlin has denied state involvement in his death and has said it is unaware of any agreement to free Navalny. His death certificate - according to allies - said he died of natural causes.  Navalny, a former lawyer, mounted the most determined political challenge against Putin since the Russian leader came to power at the end of 1999, organising street protests and publishing high-profile investigations into the alleged corruption of some in the ruling elite.  But a series of criminal charges for fraud and extremism - which Navalny said were politically-motivated - saw him handed jail sentences of over 30 years and most of his supporters have either fled the country or are in jail.  Navalny decided to return to Russia from Germany in 2021 after being treated for what Western doctors said was poisoning with a nerve agent only to be immediately taken into custody.  Putin has yet to comment on Navalny's death and has for years avoided mentioning him by name.  Though Navalny is well known in the West, state TV inside Russia did not mention him for years either and when it did it was brief and in a negative light.
—Reuters

Mourners gathered for Alexei Navalny's funeral in Moscow, chanting for freedom and honoring his fight against Putin's rule.

Alexei Navalny's funeral held amid tight security as Russians chant outside

Russia started its final day of presidential voting on Sunday with Moscow accusing Ukraine of using air attacks to try to sabotage the election that is expected to keep President Vladimir Putin in power for another six years.
More than half of Russian voters have already gone to the polls in the first two days of the three-day-election, according to officials. The final day will test the strength of the country's opposition, which called for all its supporters to vote at the same time at noon, in an action dubbed "Noon Against Putin."  Sporadic protests have already marked the election but the latest developments in the war with Ukraine have cast a greater shadow on the vote so far. On Friday, Putin accused Kyiv of trying to disrupt the election with its intensified drone and missile attacks inside Russia and on Moscow-held territory in Ukraine. He also vowed to punish Ukraine.
Local Russian officials said early Sunday that Kyiv's forces continued their strikes on Russian regions bordering Ukraine.  Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not address the reported attacks in his nightly video address on Saturday, but he thanked his military forces and intelligence "for the new Ukrainian long-range capabilities."  Kyiv regards the election taking place in parts of its territory controlled by Russia as illegal and void. Military analysts see the daily pounding by Kyiv that chiefly targets energy and other key infrastructure as an attempt to shake Russians' feeling of stability and undermine Moscow's war effort.  'NOON AGAINST PUTIN'  The Ukraine war has been the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two. None of the other three candidates on the ballot presents any credible challenge to Putin, 71, who dominates Russia's political landscape.  But the supporters of Putin's most prominent foe, the late Alexei Navalny, who died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony in February, called on people across Russia turn out to vote all at the same time at noon on Sunday in each of the country's 11 time zones.
The "Noon Against Putin" action, endorsed by Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya, is presented as a way for people to express opposition without the risk of arrest because they will be queuing up to vote legally. The Kremlin has warned people against taking part in unauthorised gatherings.  "Today we want to say to all of us - noon is the very beginning," the "Noon Against Putin" initiative wrote on their Telegram early Sunday.  "Yes, some of us are scared. Yes, the choice is not easy. But we are the people. And we will cope with both the choice and the responsibility."  More than 114 million Russians are eligible to vote, including in what Moscow calls its "new territories" - four regions of Ukraine that its forces only partly control, but which it has claimed as part of Russia.  The Russian Central Election Committee said that more than 63 million voters had already gone to the polls by Saturday evening.
—Reuters

Final day of Russia's presidential vote under the shadow of Ukraine conflict and opposition protests. Putin expected to secure another term amid claims of election interference.

Russia's presidential vote starts final day with accusations of Kyiv sabotage

Moscow: President Vladimir Putin will seek to tighten his grip on power on Sunday in a Russian election that is certain to deliver him a landslide victory though opponents called on people to stage a symbolic protest against his rule at polling stations.
Putin, who rose to power in 1999, is poised to win a new six-year term that, if he completes it, would make him Russia's longest-serving leader for more than 200 years.  The election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine in what he casts as a defensive "special military operation".  War hangs over the three days of voting that ends on Sunday: Ukraine over recent days repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia with drones, shelled Russian regions and sought to pierce Russian borders with proxy forces - a move Putin said would not be left unpunished.  Putin, 71, has warned the West that any meddling in the vote will be considered an act of aggression. While his re-election is not in doubt given a lack of any significant rival candidate he wants to show that he has the overwhelming support of Russians.
The Kremlin has sought a high turnout and as polls opened for a third day in western Russia, officials said the turnout in the first two days had already reached 60 per cent nationwide. An exit poll will be published shortly after voting ends at 1800 GMT.  Supporters of Alexei Navalny, who died in unexplained circumstances at an Arctic prison last month, have called on Russians to come out at a "Noon against Putin" protest to show their dissent against a leader they cast as a corrupt autocrat.  "Today we want to say to all of us - noon is the very beginning," the "Noon Against Putin" initiative wrote on their Telegram early Sunday.  "Yes, some of us are scared. Yes, the choice is not easy. But we are the people. And we will cope with both the choice and the responsibility."  Over the previous two days, there were scattered incidents of protest as some Russians set fire to voting booths and poured dye into ballot boxes, drawing a rebuke from Russian officials who said they were scumbags and traitors.  About 100 people came out at one polling station at noon (0500 GMT) in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. Abroad, at Russian voting stations from Thailand to Sydney and from Bishkek to Tashkent queues formed at noon, though it was not immediately clear if the Russians were protesting or simply voting.  Many Russians opposed to Putin have left Russia - with many young men fleeing abroad in 2022 after the start of the war in Ukraine and a mobilisation order.  The West, variously, casts Putin as an autocrat, a war criminal and a killer. US President Joe Biden last month dubbed him a "crazy SOB" and US officials say he has enslaved Russia in a corrupt dictatorship that leads to strategic ruin.  War  Angela Stent, senior non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the election outcome was not in question but that there were serious reasons to take note of the event.  "Vladimir Putin will win, probably by a landslide, and he will claim increased legitimacy as a successful war leader on March 18," Angela Stent, told the Russia Matters project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center.  "The Russian presidential election matters to the United States and its allies for two reasons: what happens during the voting period and what follows after it is over."  The West, which has supplied Ukraine with hundreds of billions of dollars of aid, weapons and top-level intelligence, says Putin is engaged in a brutal imperial-style war aimed at restoring some of the clout of the Soviet Union.  Russian and Ukrainian estimates indicate that hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both side have been killed or seriously injured, though neither side gives proper casualty figures. Swathes of Ukraine have been devastated.  Putin casts the war as part of a centuries-old battle with a declining and decadent West that he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by encroaching on what Putin considers to be Russia's sphere of influence such as Ukraine.  Russian officials say the West is engaged in a hybrid war against Russia that will include trying to meddle in its election and cast doubt on its results.  Whoever wins the November US presidential election is almost certain to have to deal with an emboldened Putin, who has forged a close strategic partnership with Chinese President Xi Jinping.  More than 114 million Russians are eligible to vote, including in what Moscow calls its "new territories" - four regions of Ukraine that its forces only partly control, but which it has claimed as part of Russia.  Kyiv regards the election taking place in parts of its territory controlled by Russia as illegal and void.  Ukraine's counteroffensive in 2023 failed to pierce heavily dug in Russian lines, and Russian forces have been pushing into Ukrainian territory just as US support for Ukraine is tangled in domestic political debates.
—Reuters

Putin set for landslide in Russia's election amid Ukraine war. Navalny supporters protest, as the world watches Putin's attempt to solidify power. 

Putin to tighten grip on Russia as opponents pose election day challenge

Moscow [Russia]: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his victory speech, extended his gratitude to the citizens of Russia for their active participation in the recently concluded presidential election, state-controlled media reported. Following the conclusion of the election, Russia's Central Election Commission showed Putin securing a fifth term in office with over 87 per cent of the vote.
Speaking from the election headquarters, Putin emphasised the importance of every voice in shaping the destiny of the nation, Russia Today reported. "I would like to thank citizens of Russia, all of them, because we are one team," said Putin, acknowledging the collective effort of the Russian people in exercising their democratic right. "The source of power in a country is the Russian people and the voice of every citizen of Russia," he added, underscoring the fundamental role of public participation in governance.
Reflecting on the significance of the election, Putin remarked, "Out of every voice, we are building one commonwealth of the people of the Russian Federation." He stressed the role of citizen engagement in driving the country's progress across various sectors, including defence, science, and education, as reported by Russia Today. Amid challenging circumstances, Putin extended a special appreciation to the armed forces, acknowledging their dedication in safeguarding the nation's interests. "I would like to express a special gratitude to our warriors, to those lads who are at the line of contact ensuring the conditions for the development and existence of our country," Putin affirmed, highlighting the sacrifices made by those serving on the front lines.
Russia has finished voting in its seventh modern presidential election, spanning three days and including four new regions: Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and Lugansk People's Republics. The recent election witnessed a historic turnout, with over 74 per cent of Russia's 112.3 million eligible voters participating between March 15 and 17, according to the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) on Sunday. This level of engagement marks the highest in the country's modern history, unmatched for over two decades, as reported by Russia Today. Securing a crushing victory, Putin also said that he had agreed to a prisoner swap involving Alexei Navalny before the opposition leader's sudden death in an Arctic prison in February. Calling Navalny's death a 'sad event', Putin said there were other cases of people in prisons passing away. In his address at his election headquarters on Sunday, Putin said, "As for Mr. Navalny--yes, he passed away. It is always a sad event. And there were other cases when people in prisons passed away. Didn't this happen in the United States? It did, and not once." Putin added that he was told of a proposal to exchange Navalny for prisoners held in Western nations days before the Opposition leader died in prison. On February 16, jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died.
—ANI

Putin wins fifth term in a landmark Russian election, thanks voters and armed forces. Reflects on Navalny's death and stresses unity and progress.

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