Did Vladimir Putin order death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny? US ...

World leaders including US President Joe Biden have held Putin responsible for Navalny's death — leading to a a new round of sanctions against the other country. US officials however believe that the timing of his demise wasn’t intended by Putin.

A Wall Street Journal report quoting intelligence agencies suggests that the Russian leader did not directly order Navalny's death in February. It is pertinent to note here that the findings do not question his culpability in the Opposition leader's death. Putin had previously been accused of targeting Navalny on several occasions — including an assasination attempt in 2020. The publication quoted officials in the know to add that Putin probably didn't order it “at that moment". 

Several prominent Kremlin opponents have died, been jailed or even forced into exile in recent years. Navalny had been serving a 19-year prison sentence at the time of his death and seemed to be relatively healthy and in good spirits just a day earlier. He had reportedly been been the subject of high-level talks over a potential prisoner swap that could have freed him mere days before his demise. 

The Russian prison service said that he had collapsed on February 16 after a walk at the isolated camp. It said that attempts to revive him failed.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Published: 27 Apr 2024, 07:14 PM IST