Navalny: West blames Putin for Kremlin critic's death

Supporters of Alexei Navalny paid tribute to the opposition leader in numerous cities in Europe.

Many of those protesting were Russian emigrants.

At the gatherings, protesters held up signs or chanted slogans blaming Navalny's death on the Russian government.

"Putin murderer! Putin to the Hague," a crowd chanted in front of Russia's embassy in Berlin.

Several hundred people were gathered at the embassy in Germany's capital.

Groups also gathered in Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Geneva, The Hague, Zurich, London, Lisbon and Warsaw.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's reported death in prison has brought renewed criticism and outrage from world leaders and supporters. They blame Russian President Vladimir Putin for his death. DW's Minka Curr reports:

US President Joe Biden said he was "outraged" at Navalny's reported death.

"Like millions of people around the world ... I am not surprised and [am] outraged at the news," he said, adding that Navalny had stood against the "corruption" and "violence" committed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's government.

He said that Putin was "responsible" for Navalny's death. "What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin's brutality," he said.

The US president said that Washington did not know "exactly what happened" to Navalny but had no reason to doubt the reports of his death.

Biden called Navalny "brave" and "principled," adding that the opposition leader was dedicated to building a Russia where the rule of law applies to everyone.

He called for the US House of Representatives to support Ukraine in the face of Putin's "vicious onslaughts" and "war crimes."

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for a comprehensive probe into Navalny's reported death.

"The Secretary-General is shocked by the reported death in detention of opposition figure Alexei Navalny," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Guterres also called "for a full, credible and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Navalny's reported death in custody."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has called statements by Western leaders that blame Moscow for Navalny's death "absolutely unacceptable."

He said the reaction from Western leaders was "hysterical."

Numerous Western leaders and officials have said the Kremlin is responsible for Navalny's death.

The Russian prosecutor's office has warned citizens not to participate in protests following Navalny's death.

A mass rally was scheduled to be held in the center of the capital, Moscow.

"Please note that this mass event has not been coordinated with the executive authorities of the city in accordance with the procedure established by law," prosecutors said.

Navalny's mother says that she saw her son recently and that he was in good health.

"I don't want to hear any expressions of sympathy," she told Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

"He was alive, healthy and full of life" on Monday during a visit to the prison camp he was being held at, she said.

Meanwhile, Navalny ally Leonid Volkov said in a Telegram post that if the news of the opposition leader's death is true, this means he was "killed" by the Kremlin.

"They lied, they lie and they will lie," Volkov said, referring to Russia's leadership.

"We have no reason to believe state propaganda," he declared.

"Navalny didn't just die," he said, but "[Russian President Vladimir Putin] killed Navalny."

French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of sending "free spirits" to the gulag after the death in an Arctic prison of the Kremlin's most prominent critic, Alexei Navalny.

"In today's Russia, free spirits are sent to the gulag and condemned to death," Macron said, expressing his "anger and indignation" and hailing Navalny's "courage."

Meanwhile, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel blamed the Russian state for the death of leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

"He was a victim of Russia's repressive state power. It is terrible that a courageous, fearless voice that stood up for his country was silenced using terrible methods," Merkel said in Berlin.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has blamed Russia for the death in prison of opposition figure Alexei Navalny. "It is indicative of the unbelievable brutality of the Russian regime," Rutte posted on X, formerly Twitter.

British foreign minister David Cameron also said that Putin should be held accountable for the death Navalny.

And Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly pointed out that the death of Navalny was a reminder of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "continued oppressive regime."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to "never forgive" the perpetrators of Navalny's death. "Alexei, we will never forget you. And we will never forgive them," Tusk said on X (formerly Twitter), referring to the death of the Kremlin critic.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the death of Navalny was a warning to the world and called for clarification on what happened.

Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia, was present at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where she urged the international community to fight against this "horrific regime" in Russia.

Discussing her husband's death, Yulia said: "I don't know if we should believe this terrible news we have heard." She said Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government lie "incessantly."    

She said Putin must be punished for "atrocities" against Navalny and Russia.   

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares demanded a "clarification of the circumstances" of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison.

"Deeply shocked by the death of Alexei Navalny. We demand clarification of the circumstances of his death, which occurred during his unjust imprisonment for political reasons," Albares wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that he was "shocked" by the death of Alexei Navalny, who was "unjustly imprisoned" by Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime.

"Shocked by the news of the death in prison of Alexei Navalny, unjustly imprisoned by the Putin regime for his defense of human rights and democracy. My condolences to his family and friends and to all those in Russia who defend democratic values and pay for it the highest of prices," Sanchez wrote on X.

Russia is "responsible" for the death in prison of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

"His death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built," Blinken said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

"Russia is responsible for this," he added.

Earlier, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States is actively seeking confirmation of Navalny's death. 

"If it's confirmed, it is a terrible tragedy," Sullivan told US broadcaster National Public Radio.

Sullivan also added the Kremlin's "long and sordid" history of harming its opponents "raises real and obvious questions about what happened here."

The European Union said it holds Russian President Vladimir Putin solely responsible for the death in prison of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. 

EU top diplomat Josep Borrell called Navalny "a very brave man who dedicated his life to save the honor of Russia, giving hope to democrats and civil society."

"While awaiting further information, let’s be clear: this is Putin’s sole responsibility," Borrell wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

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.

Meanwhile, 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 and his life, but not his dignity. His struggle for democracy lives on," European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said.

Russian rights campaigner Oleg Orlov has said Navalny dying in prison was a "crime of the regime."

"It is a crime of the regime. It is glaringly obvious," Orlov said while leaving a court in Moscow, where he was on trial for denouncing the war in Ukraine. "It is a killing. It is a crime and I hope that people will bear responsibility — legal responsibility — sooner or later."

Orlov is the 70-year-old co-chair of the Nobel Prize-winning Memorial group, having spent much of his life documenting rights abuses — in the Soviet era and more recent times. 

European Council President Charles Michel says leading Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny died for his ideals.

"Fighters die. But the fight for freedom never ends," Michel tweeted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Michel said Navalny fought for the "values of freedom and democracy" and made "the ultimate sacrifice" for his ideals. 

"I extend my deepest condolences to his family. And to those who fight for democracy around the world in the darkest conditions," he added.