Brussels 16.02.2023 Today the European Union said that it held President Vladimir Putin solely responsible for the death in and Arctic prison of exiled opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

“Alexei Navalny fought for the values of freedom and democracy. For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice,” European Council President Charles Michel posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“The EU holds the Russian regime for sole responsible for this tragic death.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the news of Navalny’s death was “a grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about”.

“Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people,” Von der Leyen wrote on X.

The head of the European Parliament, which gave Navalny its top rights prize in 2021, said his “courage will echo through generations”.

“Russia took his freedom & his life, but not his dignity. His struggle for democracy lives on,” parliament president Roberta Metsola said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday he was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by the reports on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“We need to establish all the facts, and Russia needs to answer all the serious questions about the circumstances of his death,” Stoltenberg said.

Navalny’s spouse Yulia addressed Munich security conference with the words of indignation, accusing Putin and his cronies in the tragic and premature death of her husband.

An ambulance crew tried to resuscitate Alexey Navalny for more than half an hour, Labytnang City Hospital told Russian state-run media RIA Novosti.

“The doctors who arrived at the scene continued the resuscitation measures that the prison’s doctors had already provided,” the agency’s interlocutor said, according to RIA.

“They carried them out for more than half an hour. However, the patient died.”

“The ambulance team reached the prison in less than seven minutes, and doctors reached the patient two minutes later,” according to the interlocutor.

On Friday, the Russian prison service said Navalny “felt unwell after a walk” and “almost immediately” lost consciousness. It said it was investigating his “sudden death.”