The prison service of the region where he had been serving his sentence says Navalny, an outspoken critic of President Putin, has been in Russian jail since 2021 on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has said she doesn’t know whether the “horrible news” is true.
Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokesperson, said his team had yet to receive confirmation of the death but his lawyer was travelling to Siberia.
Putin’s spokesman said Russian’s penitentiary service was looking into Navalny’s death but provided no further information.
In August, Navalny was found guilty of founding and funding an extremist organisation, which he denies, and was given an extra 19 years in jail.
He had already been sentenced to nine years for parole violations, fraud and contempt of court.
Reactions to Navalny’s reported death amongst delegates at this high-profile security gathering range from outrage to quiet resignation.
Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv, told the BBC it was a message to anyone “who had a different opinion to Putin or the Russian government that they will be killed or put into prison”.
Lt.Gen Ben Hodges, a former Commander of US Land Forces in Europe, said he was not surprised, given the previous attempt on Navalny’s life, but it was still appalling news.
Ursula Von Der Leyen said the EU Commission was waiting for confirmation from the family before commenting.
Germany was where Navalny was treated in hospital for his Novichok nerve agent poisoning, allegedly by Russian GRU agents, and it was from here that he returned to Moscow to face arrest and imprisonment.
SOURCE: BBC
