by Brendan Clementz

Alexey Navalny, an important figurehead to the Russian government opposition, was serving a sentence in a government prison in the Arctic Circle when he died. Russian authorities say that it was “sudden death syndrome,” but his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, accuses the authorities of trying to hide his true cause of death. 

Russian authorities kept Navalny’s body in their custody for more than a week after his death. His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, has spoken about how they have been blackmailing her with threats to not allow her to bury her son.

Yulia Navalnaya believes that they are waiting for traces of “Putin’s Novichok” to disappear from the body. Novichok is an incredibly deadly nerve agent that causes paralysis, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. It’s a way to covertly execute people. 

Russian media has been very light on news about his passing. Few details about the circumstances of his death were reported.

Meanwhile, the Russian public mourns his death. They laid flowers at handmade monuments dedicated to him and gathered in public to grieve, which can face penalties in the current political climate of Russia. A funeral was held for Navalny on March 1.

Navalny provided a voice of opposition to long-time president Putin. Now that he is gone, his wife has vowed to carry on his work.