According to U.S. intelligence officials, it has been determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February. While officials believe Putin was ultimately responsible for Navalny's death due to the harsh conditions he endured during his confinement, there is no concrete evidence that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny's death or directly ordered it.
President Joe Biden had previously stated that Putin was ultimately responsible for Navalny's death but did not explicitly accuse him of giving the direct order. Biden emphasized that while the exact circumstances surrounding Navalny's death were unclear, there was no doubt that it was a consequence of actions taken by Putin and his associates.
Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition figure in Russia and a vocal critic of Putin, passed away on February 16 while serving a 19-year sentence on what he claimed were politically motivated extremism charges. Navalny had returned to Russia from Germany, where he was receiving treatment for nerve-agent poisoning that he attributed to the Kremlin.
Russian officials have maintained that Navalny died of natural causes and have vehemently denied any involvement in his poisoning or subsequent death. Despite international scrutiny and accusations, Putin secured a fifth term in a landslide reelection victory in March, just a month after Navalny's passing.
The U.S. intelligence community's findings were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, shedding light on the complex circumstances surrounding Navalny's death and the role of Putin's government in the events leading up to it.
