After a day in which Moscow police arrested as many as 401 people to prevent any kind of tribute to the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, there is still much unknown about the details of his death in the prison colony where he was serving his sentence. Although some early rumors spoke of a fatal blood clot, according to independent media such as Novaya Gazeta Europe, there would be “spasmodic hematomas” on the body.
After hours of the opponent's closest family not knowing the whereabouts of his remains, they may have finally been located in the town of Salekhard in the Arctic Yamalya region. In this region of Russia is the prison colony of the Special Order – an institution inherited from the Soviet era – IK-3, in the village of Kharp. This is where Navalny spent his last days, since he was transferred there at the end of December.
As one of the ambulance workers told independent Russian media, they were told that the injuries on the body may have appeared when he was detained while suffering from severe convulsions and they tried to revive him, as he was suffering from fragile heart health after being exposed to poisoning. He suffered from it in 2020. This source notes, “They also said he had a hematoma in the chest. But it seems to be related to indirect heart massage.”
Accusations
Navalny's team wrote on its Telegram channel that “it is clear that the killers want to cover their steps and therefore will not allow access” to the opponent's body. Another team member's voice, team spokeswoman Kira Yarmeks, confirmed that Russian authorities “don't want him to know how they killed him,” in one of the most direct accusations regarding the opponent's death last Friday.
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