Vladimir Putin has cracked down on “more than a hundred” mourners protesting the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
Russian news media today announced Navalny’s death – citing the Siberian prison where he served his sentence – but did not provide a cause of death or further information.
Protesters have gathered outside the London embassy and chanted critical slogans against Putin, such as “Putin is a murderer,” “the war must stop” and “love is stronger than war.”
Now photos show protesters being detained in St Petersburg after vigils were organized for the 47-year-old outspoken critic of President Putin.
Shocking footage shows police dragging mourners away from wake services by their feet.
Police officers arrest a woman who laid flowers for Alexei Navalny at a memorial in St. Petersburg
It has been reported that more than 100 mourners who attended the wake have been arrested
Russian opposition politician Navalny, together with his wife Yulia Navalnaya
People can also be seen waving their cell phones in snowy conditions with flashlights on to pay their respects.
Navalny has been in a Russian prison since 2021 on charges widely seen as politically motivated.
The news caused shock and anger around the world, with world leaders and commentators quick to point the finger at the Kremlin.
Both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have said Putin is “responsible” for the politician’s death.
Navalny was “brutally murdered by the Kremlin,” the Latvian president said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “clear” that Putin had ordered the dissident’s killing.
Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s wife, has claimed that she does not know if the news of his death is out.
This came after his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said his team had not yet received confirmation of the death.
It comes after Russian news media today announced Navalny’s death
People wave their mobile phones with flashing lights and pay their respects to Navalny in St. Petersburg
Mourners commemorate the death of the outspoken Russian critic in snowy conditions
But it has been reported that his lawyer is heading to Siberia to the prison where he is being held.
As Putin’s fiercest enemy, Navalny waged a crusade against official corruption and organized mass protests against the Kremlin, prompting merciless retaliation from the Kremlin.
He once survived an assassination attempt involving the nerve agent Novichok, but returned to his homeland after his recovery, despite knowing he would be arrested.
He has since been held on extremism charges after being sentenced to 19 years behind bars, and in December he was transferred from a prison in central Russia to a ‘special regime’ penal colony known as ‘Polar Wolf’ above the Arctic Circle.
The 47-year-old was last seen via video link during a court hearing on Thursday.
People attend a vigil in memory of Navalny in Munich, Germany
Supporters of the late Russian opposition leader hold banners and place candles around a makeshift monument in Krakow, Poland
