Navalny’s Mother Claims Poison Traces Prove Murder on Death Anniversary

Lyudmila Navalnaya, mother of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said on the second anniversary of his death that traces of poison in his body confirm he was murdered. This came as she marked February 16, 2024, the day he died in the Polar Wolf penal colony in Russia's far north. She rejected Russian officials' claims of natural causes and said her son did not simply die in prison.

Background

Alexei Navalny spent years challenging Russia's leadership. He built a name exposing corruption among top officials. In 2020, he fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow. Doctors in Omsk treated him but did not say why at first. German doctors later found he had been poisoned with Novichok, a nerve agent from the Soviet era. Tests on his blood, urine, and skin showed the toxin. Even his water bottle had traces. Bellingcat and other groups linked FSB agents to the attempt. Russia denied it and said no crime took place.

Navalny recovered in Germany. He returned to Russia in 2021. Authorities arrested him at the airport. Courts added years to his sentence for old cases and new ones. They sent him to the Arctic prison known as Polar Wolf. Conditions there were harsh. He had little contact with the outside world. Reports said guards denied him medical care at times.

On February 16, 2024, the prison said Navalny lost consciousness after a walk. They called in doctors but could not revive him. His team said he had complained of sharp stomach pain just before. Russian investigators took his body but held it back for weeks. They said they needed tests. Navalny's wife Yulia said they were waiting for poison to fade. Finally, they gave the body to his mother. Officials ruled it natural causes like heart issues and other ailments. No crime, they said.

Documents later surfaced showing early reports of stomach pain. Experts said that matched poisoning, not heart failure. Bruises on his body raised questions too. Some said guards turned off cameras that day. US agencies said Putin likely did not order it directly, but others doubted that in Russia's system.

Key Details

Lyudmila Navalnaya spoke out on the exact second anniversary. She said findings from tests on her son's remains showed poison. This backed her long-held view that he was killed.

"My son did not simply die in prison. The poison confirms he was murdered."

— Lyudmila Navalnaya

She pointed to documents from the prison and investigators. One early version listed sudden stomach pain as his last symptom. Later versions dropped that. Doctors who saw the records said it looked like a toxin at work. They noted the pain fit with something like epibatidine, a poison from dart frogs that some European reports mentioned recently.

Delays with the Body

After Navalny died, his mother went to the prison. Officials said the body was in a morgue nearby, but it was not. They moved it for chemical tests. This added two weeks. The family waited in Salekhard, a cold town near the colony. Navalny's team filmed the mother demanding answers. She said officials pressured her to bury him quietly, without public rites.

Once released, independent experts checked the body. They found clues of poison. Russian authorities stuck to their story of combined diseases like pancreatitis and high blood pressure. But the stomach complaints and holds on the body fueled doubts.

Navalny's allies released prison logs. They showed FSB officers arrived hours before he collapsed. Cameras went off. No footage exists of his final moments. His lawyer saw bruises that examiners called post-death, but others questioned that.

What This Means

Lyudmila Navalnaya's words keep the spotlight on her son's death. They challenge Russia's official line two years on. Poison claims link back to the 2020 attack. That one drew global sanctions. Now, with new details, pressure may build again.

Russia faces calls for a real probe. Human rights groups say prisons must protect inmates. Navalny's case shows failures there. His death came as world leaders met in Munich. His wife spoke there, vowing Putin would pay.

The family pushes for truth. They want outside experts to review all evidence. Russia's Investigative Committee closed the case months ago. No charges filed. But documents keep leaking. Each one adds weight to murder claims.

Navalny's work lives on. His videos on graft have millions of views. Supporters face arrests. Yet his name draws crowds at rallies. Lyudmila's statement may rally more. It says the fight against what killed him goes on.

European nations eye the poison reports. Some plan to tell the chemical weapons group. That could mean fresh accusations of treaty breaks. Russia calls it all smears.

For the Navalny family, the anniversary marks loss but also resolve. Lyudmila says poison proof ends doubts. It frames her son's end as targeted, not random. Prisons hold many critics. This case tests if any get justice.

Two years pass, but questions linger. Official rulings clash with family findings. Stomach pain, hidden body, turned-off cameras—all pieces in a puzzle. Lyudmila Navalnaya fits them into murder. Russia says no. The gap stays wide.