Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny don die, prison service tok

Russia most significant opposition leader for di past decade, Alexei Navalny, don die for prison inside di Arctic Circle, di prison service confam.

Dem see Navalny as di most vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin. E bin dey serve 19-year jail term for offences many pipo consider as politically motivated.

Di 47-year-old blogger - wey survive poisoning wit a nerve agent - die as e dey serve long prison sentence for February 2024, afta more dan three years in detention.

Last year, dem move am go Arctic penal colony, wey dey considered one of di toughest jails.

Di prison service for di Yamalo-Nenets district tok say e bin "dey sick" afta one waka on Friday.

E bin "almost lose consciousness immediately", dem tok for one statement, and add say dem immediately call emergency medical team to try resuscitate am but e no work.

"Di emergency doctors declare di prisoner dead. Dem still dey try establishdi cause of death."

Navalny lawyer Leonid Solovyov tell Russian media say im no go tok anytin yet.

Although im close aide Leonid Volkov write on X: "Russian authorities publish one confession say dem don kill Alexey Navalny for prison. We no get any way to confam am or to prove say dis no be true."

Even though, e bin no fit challenge di president for di ballot box, im voice don retain im power for many Russians and e remain a threat to di Kremlin.

Im group campaigns don expose corruption for almost evri level of di Russian state – wey frequently dey target President Putin imself - and imprisonment don make im face more recognisable to millions worldwide.

Few minutes afta prison service announce Navalny death, di international community begin hail di courage of Vladimir Putin biggest domestic adversary.

France tok say im don pay wit im life for resisting Russian "oppression" while Norway foreign minister tok say Russian authorities carry great responsibility for im death.

Oga Putin tok-tok pesin Dmitry Peskov, say dem don “report Navalny death give di president", wey dey on a visit to di city of Chelyabinsk. Most of Russian president critics don run comot from Russia, but Alexei Navalny return for January 2021, afta months of medical treatment.

For August 2020, dem poison am for di end of one trip to Siberia wit a Novichok nerve agent.

Im team fly am go Germany for specialist treatment and on im return to Moscow, dem immediately take am into custody. E no go ever leave jail again in di next 37 months.

Navalny for long don try to challenge Vladimir Putin for di ballot box, but dem ban am from running for di 2018 presidential election.

Next month, Russia leader go stand unchallenged by any meaningful opposition.

Alexei Navalny - Di basics

Poisoned and jailed

Alexei Navalny na Putin most famous critic.

For more dan a decade, e expose di corruption for di heart of Russian power. Im video investigations receive tens of millions of views online.

Navalny wey be charismatic campaigner, set up one network of regional campaign offices, as e plan to run for president for 2018. But dem block im vote.

For 2020, dem poison am for Siberia by wetin Western laboratories later confam to be a nerve agent.

Dem treat am for abroad and e dey jail since e return to Russia for January 2021, wen dem immediately arrest am.

Im supporters bin stage mass protests across Russia and police bin respond wit force, dem detain thousands for attending di unauthorised rallies.

Although goment ban am and im anti-corruption team from standing in parliamentary elections, dem still manage to vex di Kremlin wit one "smart voting" app wey bin encourage voters to back candidates wey get chance of defeating Mr Putin United Russia party.

Anti-corruption video reach millions

Oga Navalny message evritime na say "crooks and thieves" full Oga Putin party.

E bin accuse president of "sucking di blood out of Russia" through one "feudal state" concentrating power for Kremlin. Dat patronage system, wey e claim, na tsarist Russia.

E bin tok street language of younger Russians and use am to powerful effect on social media. Im Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) make detailed claims about official corruption.

Afta Oga Navalny arrest for January, im team bin publish di "Putin palace" video on YouTube wey focus on vast luxury Black Sea palace, allegedly dey gifted to Oga Putin by rich associates.

Pipo watch di video dey well - well ova 100 million times. Di Kremlin bin dismiss am as "pseudo-investigation" and Oga Putin call am "boring", and deny di claims. Later billionaire businessman Arkady Rotenberg, one of Oga Putin closest friends, tok say na im own palace.

Why dem put Navalny for jail?

On 2 February 2021, one Moscow court jail Mr Navalny on top accuse say e violate di terms of one 2014 suspended sentence for fraud.

Di case against am dey based on im failure to report regularly to police for 2020.

Im legal team tok say e dey absurd, as di authorities know fully well say e bin dey receive emergency treatment for Berlin for di Novichok nerve agent attack for Siberia.

E remind di court say im bin dey for coma during part of dat time.

Mr Navalny argue say between January and August 2020, before di poisoning, e bin report to police twice a month. E dismiss di fraud case as false in order to silence am.

Di case concern alleged embezzlement from one Russian subsidiary of French cosmetics firm Yves Rocher and from one timber firm, Kirovles.

Dem jail im brother Oleg for three-and-a-half years and Alexei get di same term, but dem suspend am.

Di European Court of Human Rights for 2016, bin condemn di 2014 fraud conviction wey discover say dem bin violate Navalny rights, and dem order Russia to pay im and Oleg compensation.

But later di Russian Supreme Court uphold di conviction.

Afta di conviction, dem jail am for di Vladimir penal colony, some 100km (60 miles) east of Moscow.

For March 2022, dem increase im sentence by nine years afta dem find am guilty on new charges of embezzlement and contempt of court.

Dem move am go new penal colony for Melekhovo, around 250km (150 miles) east of Moscow.

And for August 2023, e receive additional 19 years sentence afta e dey accused of forming and funding extremist organisations and activities.

Surviving 'Novichok' poisoning

Mr Navalny battle against President Putin, wey dey 69 years, dey personal nd serious: e bin accuse di president say e order state agents to poison am - and repeat dat allegation for court.

"Im main complain wit me na say e' go down for history as poisoner," Navalny tell di court scornfully. "We get Alexander di Liberator, Yaroslav di Wise, and we go get Vladimir di Underpants Poisoner."

Underpants become social media meme for Russia afta Navalny bin carry out one telephone sting for December on one Russian FSB state security agent, wey reveal say Novichok, one highly toxic Russian chemical weapon, dey smeared on Navalny underwear.

For August 2020, Navalny collapse for flight ova Siberia and dey rushed to hospital for Omsk. Dat emergency landing save im life. One German-based charity persuade Russian officials to allow am to dey airlifted to Berlin for treatment.

For September, di German goment reveal say tests wey military carry out find "proof of chemical nerve warfare agent of di Novichok group". Di Kremlin deny say dem get hand and reject di Novichok finding.

Di EU den impose sanctions on six top Russian officials and one Russian chemical weapons research centre, accuse dem of direct involvement for di poisoning. Russia bin retaliate wit tit-for-tat sanctions.

Novichok na di chemical weapon wey nearly kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and im daughter Yulia for Salisbury, England, for March 2018. One local woman die later from contact wit Novichok.

Mr Putin admit say di state dey keep Navalny under surveillance - e dey justified, e bin allege, sake of say US spies dey help di blogger.

Detective work wey di investigative group Bellingcat do, point to one long-running Federal Security Service (FSB) wey dey shadow Navalny - despite denials. And Bellingcat bin name agent wey dem suspect say e poison am.

Anti-corruption campaign

Despite im confinement, Mr Navalny become one of di leading domestic voices against di war for Ukraine.

During one court appearance for May 2022, e accuse Mr Putin say e start "stupid war" wit "no purpose or meaning". And for September, e accuse Russian elites say dem get "bloodthirsty obsession wit Ukraine" inside one article for di Washington Post.

Im foundation also continue to oppose di goment throughout im imprisonment, as e dey speak out against di mobilisation of some 300,000 civilians to fight for Ukraine and pledge to dey "partisan underground" movement inside Russia.

For many years im bin lead nationwide protests, but for 2018 dem stop am from challenging Mr Putin for di ballot box, sake of im conviction for fraud.

Mr Navalny bin sabi di physical risks for Russia well well, sake of say dem bin don attack am before di Novichok poisoning. And dem bin don arrest am plenti times too.

For 2019, dem bin diagnose am wit contact dermatitis wen im bin dey inside jail, im doctor suggest say im fit don dey exposed to "some toxic agent".

Dem bin also target am two times wit antiseptic green dye wey pipo sabi as zelyonka and im eyes fit don suffer chemical burns.

Im rise as a force for Russian politics start for 2008, wen im start to blog about alleged malpractice and corruption for some of Russia big state-controlled corporations.

One of im tactics to become a minority shareholder for major oil companies, banks and ministries, and to ask yeye questions about holes inside di state finances.

Wen dem bin put am for jail for July 2013 sake of embezzlement for di city of Kirov, plenti pipo see di five-year sentence as political.

Dem free am unexpectedly to campaign for di 2013 Moscow mayoral elections, wia e become runner-up wit 27% of di vote, behind Putin ally Sergei Sobyanin.

Pipo bin consider am as dramatic success sake of say im bin no get access to state TV, im rely only on di internet and word of mouth.

Navalny bin tell BBC say di best tin Western states fit do for justice for Russia na to crack down on "dirty money".

"I want make dem bar di pipo wey dey involved in corruption and persecution of activists from entering dis kontris, make dem deny dem visas".