The death of Alexei Navalny: trial, humor… what do we know about the last hours of the Russian oppositionist

He was the main political opponent of President Vladimir Putin. Russian Alexei Navalny died this Friday in a penal colony in a remote Arctic region where he was being held. Alexei Navalny, the 47-year-old Russian president’s number one enemy, was serving a 19-year prison sentence for “extremism.” He was arrested in January 2021 upon returning from Russia after recovering in Germany from a poisoning he blames on the Kremlin, and has since alternated between solitary confinement and more or less strict detention conditions.

His last public appearance was this Thursday. He participated via video link in two hearings in the court of the Vladimir region (near Moscow). According to the Kovrov City Court, cited by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Alexey Navalny “did not make any complaints about his well-being.” The Russian opponent’s German lawyer, Nikolaos Gazeas, supports these claims in an interview with the German daily Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, which will be published this Saturday. A lawyer who said he had seen a recording of Thursday’s hearing said: “He appeared to be in good health as usual, making a strong impression.”

Quarrel with a security guard?

According to information published by the Reuters news agency, Alexei Navalny wore a black prisoner’s uniform during the trials. “Your Honor, I will send you my personal account number so you can use your huge federal judge salary to heat my personal account because I don’t have much money,” he joked during the hearing. “So send this money,” he added.

However, as reported by Reuters, citing independent Russian media SOTA, the court convened this hearing after an “altercation” with a security guard who confiscated the pen. A photo circulating on social media also shows Alexei Navalny smiling behind bars during his latest trial.

Alexei Navalny – at least the person who runs his account – posted his latest message on X (formerly Twitter) this Wednesday. “Colony Yamal (where he was) decided to break Vladimir’s record (Putin) in matters of complacency and satisfaction of the Moscow authorities,” he wrote, in particular.

Shortly before this, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, a photograph appeared of him and his wife. was also published. “I feel like you’re near me every second,” he wrote, in part. Moreover, one of his opponent’s advisers, Leonid Solovyov, said that Alexei Navalny’s defender was able to meet with him on Wednesday and “at that time everything was fine.”

At the moment, Alexei Navalny’s team stated that they do not have confirmation of the politician’s death. “Alexey Navalny’s lawyer flies to Kharp” (place where the prison is located). As soon as we have information, we will share it,” his representative said on X shortly after his death was announced. A Russian opponent was recently transferred to a remote penal colony in the Arctic. He arrived at this new pre-trial detention center, located in Yamalo-Nenets, at the end of December, after a long transfer, during which his relatives did not receive any news.