Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova hit back at the reflex assumption that Putin murdered Navalny.
“The immediate reaction of NATO leaders to Navalny’s death in the form of direct accusations against Russia is self-exposing. There is still no forensic examination, yet Western conclusions are already prepared,” she said.
Putin was informed about Navalny’s death, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, but the president was pointedly silent about the news — a hallmark trait.
During a one-hour discussion with workers and students at a factory in Chelyabinsk on the Ural Mountains, which was broadcast live on Russian state media, he didn’t say a word about Navalny. Instead, he laughed and smiled as he discussed industry, robotics, trams, and tourism.
Yulia Navalnaya, the opposition leader’s wife, spoke at the Munich Security Conference: “Perhaps you’ve all seen the horrifying news coming today. I’ve been debating whether I should come here or fly to my children. But then I thought: what would Alexei do in my place?” she asked, from the stage. “I believe he would be on this stage.”
“I want Putin, his friends, and the government to know that they will be held accountable for what they have done to our country, our family, and my husband. And this day will come soon. I want to urge people around the world to unite and defeat this evil, this horrifying regime in Russia. This regime, and Putin personally, must bear personal responsibility for all the terrible things they have done to our country in recent years.”
