Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died, according to the Yamalo-Nenets regional jail service, where he was serving his term.
The Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District stated on its website on Friday that Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and almost immediately lost consciousness. It stated that medical personnel had been summoned, but that they were unable to revive Navalny. It claimed the cause of death was being determined.
Navalny first attracted attention in 2008, when he began blogging about alleged corruption in Russian state-run businesses.
By 2011, he had emerged as one of the leaders of large protests sparked by claims of fraud in legislative elections.
However, his momentum was hampered when he was convicted of embezzlement charges, just as he was preparing to run for mayor.
Navalny dismissed the claims, saying they were politically motivated. A retrial in 2017 banned him from competing for public office, this time as president against Putin.
While Navalny is best known as an activist, his investigations have been a major thorn in the side of some of Russia’s most influential figures.
His recordings exposing the apparent unexplained wealth of high government officials have particularly enraged the Kremlin. One video on former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has over 35 million views on YouTube.
However, increased results brought increasing hazards. In March 2017, that video sparked Russia’s largest anti-government rallies in years. Thousands of people attended rallies in around 100 places across Russia.
Navalny himself was arrested and imprisoned for 15 days. The following month, he was doused with an antiseptic green dye, which damaged his vision in one eye.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Navalny moved to social media to oppose the attack, advocating for anti-war protests throughout the country.
