Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalnythe widow accused the Kremlin on Monday of hiding her body to cover up her murder In the Arctic penal colony and vowed to continue her late husband’s fight President Vladimir Putin.
His comments came after Navalny’s team said his mother and lawyers had been denied access to his body and that the investigation into his killing had been delayed.
“Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband,” Yulia Navalnaya said in a video posted on her YouTube channel. He said the authorities were waiting for traces of “another Putin’s Novichok”. leaving his body – referring to the military nerve agent used to poison him years ago.
The Kremlin has denied involvement in the poisoning and on Friday rejected allegations that Putin was behind his death.
Julia promised to continue her husband’s efforts. “We know exactly why Putin killed Alexei three days ago. We will inform you about this soon. We will definitely find out who exactly committed this crime and how. We will draw names and show faces,” he said in the video.
“The most important thing we can do for Alexei and ourselves is to keep fighting,” he said.
“I will continue the life activity of Alexei Navalny,” Navalnaya said. “I urge you to be with me.”
Russian prison authorities said Navalny died suddenly on Friday afternoon after collapsing after a walk in the remote Polar Wolf prison.
The news sparked outrage, with many international leaders pointing the finger at Putin and Russia’s fragmented opposition fearing the loss of one of the Kremlin’s staunchest enemies. Moscow scoffed at the Western response and urged the world to await the results of an official investigation into his death.
However, Navalny’s supporters denied the official version of events.
On Monday morning, press secretary Kira Yarmish said that Navalny’s mother and lawyers were denied access to the nearby morgue. The group was told that the investigation into his cause of death has been extended and it is unclear how long it will take.
“They were not allowed to enter. One of the lawyers was literally kicked out. When the employees were asked if Alexei’s body was there, they did not answer,” Yarmash said in a series of articles in X. The Arctic town of Salekhard, where prison officials said his body was taken over the weekend, according to Yarmish.
The Investigative Committee, the country’s main investigative body, told the group that “the cause of death is still ‘unknown’,” Yarmash said. “They lie, buy time for themselves and don’t even hide it,” he added.