Reviews of Aleksei A. Navalny’s demise got here as his spouse, Yulia Navalnaya, was at a outstanding safety convention in Munich, assembly with European and American leaders in an effort to attract consideration to her husband’s case and Russia’s clampdown on dissent.
Ms. Navalnaya and Leonid Volkov, her husband’s longtime chief of employees, had been attending the Munich Safety Convention, the place Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and leaders from round Europe had been gathering to debate the warfare in Ukraine and different threats — many emanating from Moscow and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Ms. Navalnaya couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.
The information of Mr. Navalny’s demise shocked many on the convention and will add new urgency to the dialogue.
Ms. Harris mentioned at the beginning of her deal with to the convention — which had already been anticipated to deal with Russia — that the USA was nonetheless making an attempt to verify the stories of Mr. Navalny’s demise, however that it held Russia’s authorities accountable. “If confirmed, this is able to be an additional signal of Putin’s brutality,” she mentioned. “No matter story they inform, allow us to be clear Russia is accountable and we’ll have extra to say on this later.”
Mr. Blinken, earlier than a gathering with Indian officers, informed reporters: “If these stories are correct, our hearts exit to his spouse and his household. Past that, his demise in a Russian jail and the fixation and worry of 1 man solely underscores the weak spot and decay on the coronary heart of the system that Putin has constructed.”
President Biden had warned Mr. Putin to not hurt Mr. Navalny whereas in jail. “I made it clear to him that I imagine the results of that may be devastating for Russia,” Mr. Biden informed reporters after assembly with Mr. Putin in Geneva in 2021.
“What do you suppose occurs when he’s saying it’s not about hurting Navalny, all of the stuff he says to rationalize the remedy of Navalny, after which he dies in jail?” Mr. Biden continued. “It’s about belief. It’s about their capability to affect different nations in a constructive means.”
Ms. Navalnaya has been a revered surrogate for her husband in settings like Munich.
“I noticed Yulia Navalnaya and Leonid Volkov final night time right here in Munich,” mentioned Michael McFaul, a former American ambassador to Moscow. “That they had come to this convention to satisfy with world leaders and remind them of Aleksei and the horrific situations he was enduring in a particular jail cell designed simply to torture him.”
Edward Wong contributed reporting.
