Chronicle of a death foretold. Putin gets rid of Navalny
Chronicle of a death foretold. Putin gets rid of Navalny

Author(s): Maria Domańska, Marek Menkiszak, Katarzyna Chawryło (Jarzyńska)
Subject(s): Governance, Government/Political systems, Geopolitics
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: Russia; Alexei Navalny
Summary/Abstract: On 16 February, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service announced that Alexei Navalny, the leading figure of the Russian democratic opposition, had died in a penal colony. The circumstances of his death remain unclear, and the official report contains inconsistencies that suggest attempts at manipulation. Without an independent investigation (which is unlikely), it is impossible to decide whether Navalny’s death was due to ‘natural’ causes resulting from prolonged physical ill-treatment, or a premeditated murder ordered by the Kremlin.Putin’s responsibility for the demise of Alexei Navalny, who had long been a long-term political challenge for Russia's president, is beyond doubt. This death has provoked displays of grief and mourning among those Russians who are critical of the Kremlin, but it will not destabilise the domestic political situation, and will in fact weaken the Russian opposition operating in exile. Despite the outrage and condemnation expressed by Western leaders, it will not significantly affect Western policies towards Moscow.

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