U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn't order the death of Alexei Navalny, the imprisoned opposition leader, in February 2024. (AP/Pavel Golovkin)
- U.S. intelligence officials believe Russian President Putin likely didn’t order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February.
- The intelligence community has found “no smoking gun” that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny's death
- After Navalny’s death, U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin was ultimately responsible but did not accuse Putin of directly ordering it.
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn’t order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to an official familiar with the determination.
US Intelligence Findings
While U.S. officials believe Putin was ultimately responsible for the death of Navalny, who endured brutal conditions during his confinement, the intelligence community has found “no smoking gun” that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny’s death — which came soon before the Russian president’s reelection — or directly ordered it, according to the official.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
Soon after Navalny’s death, U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin was ultimately responsible but did not accuse the Russian president of directly ordering it.
At the time, Biden said the U.S. did not know exactly what had happened to Navalny but that “there is no doubt” that his death “was the consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did.”
Navalny’s Imprisonment and Death
Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known opposition politician and Putin’s most persistent foe, died Feb. 16 in a remote penal colony above the Arctic Circle while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he rejected as politically motivated.
He had been behind bars since January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Russian officials have said only that Navalny died of natural causes and have vehemently denied involvement both in the poisoning and in his death.
In March, a month after Navalny’s death, Putin won a landslide reelection for a fifth term, an outcome that was never in doubt.
Related Story: Putin Extends Rule in Preordained Russian Election After Harshest Crackdown ...
The Wall Street Journal first reported about the U.S. intelligence determination.
RELATED TOPICS:
Severe Storms in Houston Kill 4, Cut Power to 900,000 Homes and Businesses, See Photos
2 hours ago
Report: Child Migrant Arrivals in Italian City Double
2 hours ago
Cohen Grilled Over Past Lies as Defense Targets Key Witness in Trump Hush Money Trial
14 hours ago
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Edges Back From Records After Dow Briefly Tops 40,000
14 hours ago
Two Bills Seek to Boost Valley’s Role in Solar Power. Which One Got Killed Today?
14 hours ago
What Is Mayor’s Plan to Handle $47 Million Fresno Budget Deficit?
15 hours ago
Former Congressmember Cox Close to Plea Deal in Money Laundering Case
16 hours ago
Palestinian Voices Echo Painful Gaza War History as Nakba is Remembered
16 hours ago
Massive Ukrainian Drone Attack on Crimea Causes Power Cutoffs in Sevastopol