The body of Alexei Navalny, the staunch political critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been found in an Arctic morgue, latest media reports say. According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, a paramedic has claimed that the body of Navalny had bruises. The report further said that the autopsy has not been conducted. The report also said that all proceedings related to Navalny have been ‘taken over’ by key officials who have arrived from Moscow at the Salekhard District Clinical Hospital.
The mystery over the events that led to Alexei Navalny’s death and situation afterwards has sparked several speculations. The Novaya Gazeta Europe report said that the usual protocol in event of any death at the penal colony is to take the body to the Forensic Medicine on Glazkova Street. However, in Navalny’s case, the body was not transferred to Forensic Medicine. Instead, it has been sent to the Salekhard District Clinical Hospital.
The report added that the local hospital pathologists have been ‘banned’ from carrying out the autopsy.
Navalny gained prominence for his advocacy against corruption within the Russian government under President Vladimir Putin’s administration. He was recognized for his impassioned speeches during public demonstrations and court proceedings, as well as for his active engagement on social media platforms. Navalny’s team conducted extensive video investigations into instances of governmental corruption.
Russian authorities reported Navalny’s collapse after a stroll at the Polar Wolf penal colony, where he was incarcerated under a lengthy sentence. This sentence followed a series of persecutions, including a poisoning incident with a nerve agent in Siberia in 2020.