Credit: Alyssa Ao

What you need to know:

On Friday, Feb. 16, Alexei Navalny, the previous presidential candidate of Russia, was killed in a prison known as the “Polar Wolf penal colony.” Navalny was a protester who fought against Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, and inspired protesters like Nadya Tolokonnikova to create groups that fight against Putin’s dictatorship.

Navalny was arrested by Putin in 2012 and has been in and out of several prisons throughout the world on charges of fraud, extremism and more. There is some speculation regarding whether or not his arrests were because of his clear disagreements with Putin and the dictatorship in Russia. In 2020, Navalny was poisoned with novichok, which is a deadly poison that attacks the nervous system. Despite the lethality of this poison, Navalny was able to recover. After that initial act of violence, Navalny’s life was threatened, but he continued to criticize Putin until his death.

Why it matters:

Navalny is not the only Russian citizen who has protested against Putin’s regime. Some activists, like Alexei Gorinov who opposed Putin’s attack on Ukraine, have been detained and sent to prison for speaking out against Putin. Some believe that the attempted assassination on Navalny in 2020 demonstrates Putin and the Russian government’s tendency to resort to extreme measures when they feels that their power is threatened.

Some Russian citizens aren’t the only people who are enraged about what happened to Navalny. United States president Joe Biden has spoken about releasing 500 sanctions that accuse Putin of several different misconducts of governmental practices.

What are other sources to look at?

“A deal to free Navalny was in the works, and allies say his death was not coincidence” – NBC NEWS

“Alexi Navalny’s allies say Kremlin is trying to derail his burial” – NBC NEWS

“Western leaders point finger at Putin after Alexei Navalny’s death in jail” – The Guardian