Jailed Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Reported Dead

MOSCOW, Feb 16: Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is dead, the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence said.

Navalny, 47, was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe and had exposed official corruption and organised major anti-Kremlin protests. Mr. Putin has been told of the death of Navalny.

In a statement published on its website, the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District said that Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday, and “almost immediately lost consciousness”.

It said that medical staff had been called, but that they were unable to resuscitate Navalny. It said the reason of death was being established. Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a procedural probe into the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a penal colony, the Investigative Committee said.