Who was Alexei Navalny, Putin critic and prominent Russian opposition leader found dead in prison

According to the Federal Penitentiary Service’s statement, Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday and “almost immediately lost consciousness.” Despite efforts by medical staff to resuscitate him, Navalny was declared dead, with the cause of death yet to be officially determined.

Who was Alexei Navalny

A former lawyer, Navalny rose to prominence with blogs that exposed what he said was vast corruption in Russia. He says the country is ruled by “crooks and thieves”. When demonstrations against Putin flared in December 2011, he was one of the first protest leaders arrested. In 2013 he ran for mayor of Moscow and won 27 per cent of the vote despite getting little or no coverage from state media. Since then he has been barred on various grounds from running for office.

When demonstrations against Putin flared in December 2011, after an election tainted by fraud accusations, he was one of the first protest leaders to be arrested. (AP)

Navalny’s death comes amid a backdrop of escalating tensions between the Russian government and the opposition, with Navalny at the forefront of efforts to challenge Putin’s rule and expose government corruption. His imprisonment, which followed his arrest upon returning to Russia, sparked widespread protests and condemnation from the international community.

The circumstances surrounding Navalny’s death have led to immediate speculation and accusations of foul play, with many pointing to the Russian government’s history of targeting political dissidents. Navalny’s allies have called for a thorough investigation into his death, while also demanding accountability for those responsible.

How Navalny emerged as Putin’s fiercest critic

He lampooned President Vladimir Putin’s elite and exposed some of the opulence of the lifestyles of senior officials, using the internet and even drones to illustrate what he described as their vast holdings and luxury property.

The Kremlin dismissed Navalny’s allegations of vast corruption and Putin’s personal wealth. Navalny’s movement is outlawed and most of his senior allies have fled Russia and now live in Europe.

Navalny’s death comes amid a backdrop of escalating tensions between the Russian government and the opposition. (File Image)

Russian officials cast Navalny as an “extremist” who was a “puppet of the US CIA intelligence agency” which they say was intended on trying to sow the seeds of revolution to weaken Russia and make it a client state of the West.

Navalny has been detained countless times for organising public rallies, and prosecuted repeatedly on charges including corruption, embezzlement and fraud.

Navalny had forecast that Russia could face seismic political turmoil, including revolution, because he said Putin had built a brittle system of personal rule reliant on sycophancy and corruption.