(Patriot.Buzz) – U.S. intelligence agencies believe that the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in February at a prison camp in Russia’s Arctic region, was not directly ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to The Wall Street Journal, this assessment comes despite Navalny’s high-profile status and after he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, which he survived.
Navalny ally Leonid Volkov said he did not believe the findings, remarking, “The idea of Putin being not informed and not approving killing Navalny is ridiculous,” as reported by the WSJ.
Polish Institute of International Affairs director Slawomir Dębski discussed Navalny’s death, saying he “was a high-value prisoner, politically, and everybody knew that Putin was personally invested in his fate. The chances for this kind of unintended death are low.”
While several agencies like the State Department and the CIA’ assessments do not hold Putin directly responsible, they also do not absolve him of being involved in the broader circumstances surrounding Navalny’s death.
This situation further complicated international relations, leading to increased sanctions against Russia and impacting negotiations for prisoner exchanges.
Navalny had been arrested in January 2021 for probation violations related to a 2014 embezzlement conviction and was sentenced to additional prison time in July 2022 after criticizing Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
His death caused international concerns and had significant diplomatic consequences that affected potential prisoner swaps involving high-profile detainees like Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Both Americans would have been exchanged for a Russian operative who has been accused of killing a dissident from Georgia.
Copyright 2024, Patriot.Buzz
