A summary of today's developments
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother and his lawyer were told on Saturday that he had been struck down by “sudden death syndrome”, his team has said. Another lawyer of Navalny’s, however, was told by the penal colony’s investigative committee that the cause of death had not yet been established, Navalny’s spokesperson said.
G7 foreign ministers have demanded that Russia fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny’s death. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States met in Munich on Saturday.
Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday.
More than 340 protesters have been arrested at Alexei Navalny memorials across Russia, Sky News reported.
Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said. This claim has not been independently verified.
A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy told world leaders not to ask when the Ukraine war will end but instead “why is Putin still able to continue it” as he underlined the threat Russia poses beyond his own country and called for more support.
Kamala Harris on Saturday criticised Donald Trump’s cajoling of Russia to attack Nato allies of the US who don’t pay their dues, saying the American people would never accept a president who bowed to a dictator. “The idea that the former president of the US would say that he – quote – encourages a brutal dictator to invade our allies, and that the United States of America would simply stand by and watch,” Harris said. “No previous US president, regardless of their party, has bowed down to a Russian dictator before.”
Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, Kyiv’s military chief said on Saturday, paving the way for Russia’s biggest advance since it captured the city of Bakhmut last May.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned earlier this week that Avdiivka could fall to Russian forces because of ammunition shortages following months of Republican congressional opposition to a new U.S. military aid package for Kyiv.
“This is the cost of congressional inaction,” said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said.
Kamala Harris on Saturday criticized Donald Trump’s cajoling of Russia to attack Nato allies of the US who don’t pay their dues, saying the American people would never accept a president who bowed to a dictator.
The vice-president’s comments, in a wide-ranging interview on MSNBC’s The Weekend, represent some of the strongest criticism to date of Trump’s apparent allegiance to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The Joe Biden White House has previously called the remarks by the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination – made last week at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania – “appalling and unhinged”.
“The idea that the former president of the US would say that he – quote – encourages a brutal dictator to invade our allies, and that the United States of America would simply stand by and watch,” Harris said. “No previous US president, regardless of their party, has bowed down to a Russian dictator before.
“We are seeing an example of something I just believe that the American people would never support, which is a US president, current or former, bowing down with those kinds of words, and apparently an intention of conduct, to a Russian dictator.”
The director of the Oscar-winning Navalny documentary has said he is “delighted and not surprised” by Alexei Navalny’s wife addressing world leaders in Germany hours after her husband’s death was reported.
Daniel Roher told the PA news agency: “The strength of Yulia Navalnaya (has) been well documented, we see it in her poise (and) grace, the sort of first lady in waiting status way that she facilitates herself.
“I was delighted and not surprised when I saw her… take that podium, for a very commanding two-minute address, where for a brief moment, she got to be the moral centre of the universe.
“I don’t know how the political structure of the organisation and Yulia will change in the next couple of weeks and months, but I know that the family is passionate and activated and now perhaps vengeful.”
Some European leaders judged the West had not done enough to help Ukraine.
“We should have supported you much more from the very beginning of this war,” said Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen, “because Ukraine cannot win a war without weapons. Words are simply not enough.”
German economy minister Robert Habeck said Europe should have started investing more in its defence industry two years ago.
German defence company Rheinmetall RHMG.DE plans to open an ammunition factory in Ukraine as part of a joint venture with a Ukrainian partner, Reuters reported.
Rheinmetall, one of the world’s biggest producers of artillery and tank shells, began ramping up production after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which faces acute shortages of ammunition and whose troops have in recent days been forced to withdraw from the eastern town of Avdivka.
The German company signed a memorandum of understanding at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday to build and jointly operate the new factory with a Ukrainian partner, whom it did not name.
Over 340 arrests at Navalny memorials in Russia
More than 340 protesters have been arrested at Alexei Navalny memorials in Russia, Sky News reported.
The broadcaster cited the figures from independent human rights organisation OVD-Info which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia.
Updated
Summary
Here is a roundup of today’s key developments. The time in Kyiv is 6pm.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother and his lawyer were told on Saturday that he had been struck down by “sudden death syndrome”, his team has said. Another lawyer of Navalny’s, however, was told by the penal colony’s investigative committee that the cause of death had not yet been established, Navalny’s spokesperson said.
G7 foreign ministers have demanded that Russia fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny’s death. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States met in Munich on Saturday.
Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday.
Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said. This claim has not been independently verified.
A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy told world leaders not to ask when the Ukraine war will end but instead “why is Putin still able to continue it” as he underlined the threat Russia poses beyond his own country and called for more support.
Updated
More than 250 protesters detained across Russia
At least 273 people have been detained at events across 32 Russian cities since the death of Alexei Navalny, according to rights group OVD-Info.
OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia, said the largest numbers of arrests on Saturday occurred in St Petersburg and Moscow, with 59 and 47 detained, respectively, as of this afternoon.
It is the largest wave of political protest arrests since 1,300 gathered to demonstrate against a “partial mobilisation” of reservists for the Ukraine war in September 2022.
Updated
G7 foreign ministers have demanded that Russia fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny’s death.
It comes as Navalny’s mother and lawyer were told that the cause of death was sudden death syndrome, according to Navalny’s associate and director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Ivan Zhdanov.
“They expressed their outrage at the death in detention of Alexei Navalny, unjustly sentenced for legitimate political activities and his fight against corruption,” according to a statement released by Italy, which is currently chairing the Group of Seven wealthy nations.
The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States met in Munich on Saturday.
Navalny's mother told he died from 'sudden death syndrome'
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother was told on Saturday that he had been struck down by “sudden death syndrome”, his team has said.
She was also told that his body would not be handed over to the family until an investigation was completed, his team said. It was not clear where his body was.
Lyudmila Navalnaya was given an official death notice stating the time of death as 2:17 pm local time on 16 February, Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, told Reuters.
“When Alexei’s lawyer and mother arrived at the colony this morning, they were told that the cause of Navalny’s death was sudden death syndrome,” Ivan Zhdanov, who directs Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Sudden death syndrome” is a general term for various cardiac syndromes that cause sudden cardiac arrest and death.
Updated
Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has confirmed his death and said the movement will go on:
Alexei Navalny’s vision for a different Russia will be kept alive by his team, his ally and spokesperson Kira Yarmysh has told Reuters in an interview.
“We lost our leader, but we didn’t lose our ideas and our beliefs”, Yarmysh told Reuters via Zoom.
She said the team holds Russian President Vladimir Putin directly responsible for what she called Navalny’s murder.
“We knew that there was a risk, Alexei knew it as well. And yesterday they murdered him as they planned to do it three years ago”, said Yarmysh.
The prison service statement on Friday did not give a cause of death other than saying he collapsed after taking a walk. Navalny’s mother and lawyer were told at the prison colony on Saturday that he had died of “sudden death syndrome”, prominent Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said on Saturday.
Yarmysh called on Western leaders to “put as much pressure on (Putin) as possible”, not negotiate with him, and seek justice for Navalny’s death.
Russia said on Saturday that it was unacceptable for Britain to interfere in its internal affairs, Reuters reports, after London told a top embassy official that it held Russian authorities responsible for Navalny’s death.
Russia said a diplomat from the embassy had been “invited” to a conversation at the Foreign Office.
The UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, has also said there should be “consequences” over Navalny’s death, telling reporters at the Munich security conference
Reflecting overnight makes you think what an incredibly brave man this was. His life revealed so much about the true nature of [Vladimir] Putin’s ghastly regime. And his death has revealed that all over again.
There should be consequences. When appalling human rights outrages like this take place, what we do is we look at whether there are individual people that are responsible and whether there are individual measures and actions we can take. We don’t announce them in advance, so I can’t say anymore than that. But that is what we will be looking at.
Summary
As the time approaches 3pm in Kyiv, here is a short summary of the day’s developments so far.
Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday. Kira Yarmysh added that his lawyer was told the cause of his death has not been determined. The statements came after Yarmysh confirmed the news of death on Saturday.
At least 212 people were detained at events in memory of Alexei Navalny in Russia on Friday and Saturday, according to rights group OVD-Info – the largest wave of protest arrests in 18 months.
Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said. This claim has not been independently verified.
The Ukrainian army withdrew its troops from the devastated town of Avdiivka in Donetsk to avoid encirclement and save the lives of its troops, the army’s commander-in-chief has said.
A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said.
In a security conference in Munich, Volodymyr Zelenskiy underlined the threat Russia’s war poses to nations beyond Ukraine. He asked world leaders: “How long will the world let Russia be like this?”
Updated
Alexei Navalny’s lawyer has been told that the cause of the Russian opposition leader’s death had not yet been determined, his spokeswoman has said.
A second examination of Navalny’s body has been made and the results, “allegedly”, will be available next week, Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter.
Updated
Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said.
The downed planes were two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers and one Su-35 fighter, air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram.
The Guardian has not independently verified this claim – Reuters reports that if true, it would represent a loss to Moscow of warplanes worth more than $100 million in total.
Some photos from Moscow and St Petersburg, as people gather to remember Alexei Navalny.
We have updated figures on the numbers of protesters arrested in Russia following Alexei Navalny’s death.
At least 212 people were detained at events in Russia on Friday and Saturday in memory of Navalny, according to rights group OVD-Info – the largest wave of protest arrests in 18 months.
It is the largest number of arrests in Russia since September 2022, when more than 1,300 were arrested for demonstrating against a “partial mobilisation” of reservists for the war in Ukraine.
OVD-Info said at least 212 people in 21 cities across Russia had been detained at spontaneous rallies and vigils as of midmorning Saturday, Reuters reports.
Police had detained at least 109 people in St Petersburg and at least 39 in Moscow, the country’s two largest cities, the group said.
The group also reported individual arrests in smaller cities across Russia, from the border city of Belgorod, where seven people were killed on Thursday in a Ukrainian missile strike, to Vorkuta, an Arctic mining outpost.
Updated
Navalny's body 'not in morgue', says spokeswoman
Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday.
Spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said Navalny’s mother and lawyer had on Saturday visited the morgue where the prison colony had told them Navalny’s body was. The morgue was closed, and they were told his body was not there.
“Alexei’s body is not in the morgue,” Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter.
Alexey's lawyer and his mother have arrived at the Salekhard morgue. It's closed, however, the colony has assured them it's working and Navalny's body is there. The lawyer called the phone number which was on the door. He was told he was the seventh caller today. Alexey's body is… pic.twitter.com/CsPbONUBrn
— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024
It comes after Yarmysh confirmed the opposition leader’s death earlier today.
Updated
A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said.
It was not clear how many soldiers were captured.
“At the final stage of the (withdrawal) operation, under the pressure of the overwhelming enemy forces, a certain number of Ukrainian servicemen were captured,” Tarnavskyi wrote on Telegram.
He added that Ukrainian troops have now moved to the second line of defences near Avdiivka.
Some Ukrainian soldiers withdrawing from Avdiivka have described a chaotic retreat on social media.
One troop wrote on Instagram that the hasty withdrawal meant there was no time to evacuate weapons and equipment, nor to burn papers and plant mines in the way of advancing Russian troops. “The road to Avdiivka is littered with our corpses,” he wrote.
His and other accounts posted describing the withdrawal have not been independently confirmed by the Guardian.
In a statement on Saturday, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in the south-east of the country pointed to Russia’s artillery shell advantage. “In a situation where the enemy is advancing on the corpses of their own soldiers with a ten-to-one shell advantage, under constant bombardment, this [withdrawal] is the only correct solution,” he said.
It comes after soldiers at a base near a section of the frontline in Donetsk region, west of Avdiivka, told the Guardian on Thursday that their capacity to strike the Russians had been cut dramatically since November.
“Back then, we could fire every half hour, to stop them from relaxing and disrupt their movements, now we have to be very selective, and only fire for defence,” said their commander, who gave his call-sign, Titushko, in accordance with Ukrainian army regulations.
Updated
Navalny’s death confirmed by opposition leader's spokeswoman
Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has confirmed that the Russian opposition leader is dead, citing an official notice given to Navalny’s mother.
The statement comes after Lydumila Navalnaya was reported travelling to the prison together with her son’s lawyer on Saturday.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh demanded that Navalny’s body be immediately handed over to his family.
Alexey Navalny was murdered. His death occurred on February 16 at 2:17 p.m. local time, according to the official message to Alexey’s mother.
— Кира Ярмыш (@Kira_Yarmysh) February 17, 2024
An employee of the colony said that the body of Navalny is now in Salekhard. It was picked up by investigators from the IC. Now they are…
Read the full story here:
Updated
Russian forces had improved their positions on the front lines in four different areas, including in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russia’s defence ministry has said, according to its Russian news agencies.
The claim, which has not been independently verified, comes after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated town of Avdiivka. The retreat paves the way for Russia’s biggest advance since May 2023 when it captured the city of Bakhmut.
The withdrawal comes as Ukrainian fronline troops are under compounding pressures, with exhausted ranks facing a shortage of artillery shells – a problem worsened by the stalling of a large US funding package.
Updated
Ukraine withdrew from Avdiivka to save troops' lives, commander-in-chief says
The Ukrainian army withdrew its troops from the devastated town of Avdiivka in Donetsk to avoid encirclement and save the lives of its troops, the army’s commander-in-chief has said.
In a short statement posted on Facebook, Ukrainian commander Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had made the decision to avoid encirclement and “preserve the lives and health of servicemen.” He added that troops were moving to “more favourable lines.”
“Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.
“We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions,” the statement read.
Updated
Following reports of Alexei Navalny’s death on Friday, six Russians told the Guardian what they believe his death will mean for Russia’s future.
His death sent waves of anger and despair through the ranks of his supporters. Some saw his popularity as limited to a certain demographic, while for others, he was a symbolic figure who united the demographic.
'How long will the world let Russia be like this?' Zelenskiy asks world leaders in Munich
“How long will the world let Russia be like this?” That was the question Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked world leaders on Saturday as he underlined the threat Russia’s war poses to nations beyond Ukraine.
Speaking at the the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskiy underlined that Ukraine can still win the war and that it was vital for the world that it does. He called for security to be made a “reality again”, warning that “there is no one for whom the ongoing war in Europe does not pose a threat”.
He warned that Ukraine’s shortage of weapons was strengthening Russia. “Unfortunately, keeping Ukraine in an artificial deficit of weapons, particularly in deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” he said.
He concluded his speech with a plea: “Please, do not ask Ukraine when the war will end. Ask yourself, why is Putin still able to continue it.”
Updated
Here’s a look at what it’s like for those marking Alexei Navalny’s death in Russia, in sharp contrast to the protests outwith the country.
Russian police have detained more than 100 people at memorials for Navalny, AFP reports, citing the figure to the OVD-Info rights group.
The number includes 64 in Saint Petersburg, OVD-Info said, while 11 were detained in the capital Moscow, and others in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don and Tver.
Authorities in Moscow on Friday said they were aware of calls online “to take part in a mass rally in the centre of Moscow” and warned people against attending. There are strict anti-dissent laws in Russia, and authorities have been particularly hardline in policing shows of support for Navalny.
It comes after a video emerged showing an activist being detained in Moscow after she held up a protest sign near a site where people were laying flowers in memory of Navalny:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, has taken the stage at the Munich Security Conference.
My colleague Lili Bayer is covering his speech, as part of the wider conference, over on our Europe blog. You can follow along here, and I’ll also be posting a brief summary of that when it’s done.
Updated
Protests against Alexei Navalny’s death took place in cities across Europe and beyond on Friday night, with some demonstrators branding Vladimir Putin a “killer” and demanding accountability.
Protesters, many of them Russians living abroad, gathered in Berlin, London, Vilnius, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, New York City, Geneva and The Hague, among others.
Updated
Opening summary
Good morning and welcome to our coverage with the main news overnight being the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the devastated town of Avdiivka in Donetsk.
As the two-year mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches, Ukrainian troops are under pressure along the frontline, with depleted and exhausted ranks and a shortage of artillery shells that has been exacerbated by the stalling of a large US funding package. The loss of Avdiivka paves the way for Russia’s biggest advance since May 2023 when it captured the city of Bakhmut. You can read our full story here.
In other developments:
The US president, Joe Biden, led a wave of global outrage over Friday’s death in Russia of the opposition leader and pro-democracy activist Alexei Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics, who was serving a lengthy prison term in an Arctic penal colony. Biden blamed Navalny’s death on Putin “and his thugs”. The European Union said Navalny was “slowly murdered” by the Putin regime and it would be held accountable.
At least 73 protesters were arrested at vigils and other celebrations of Navalny’s life in numerous Russian cities, human rights observers said. Mourners and protesters also gathered across several cities in Europe and the US.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the US should show restraint before accusing the country of causing Navalny’s death.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Russians who voted for Putin at elections next month should realise they were voting for a murderer. “The events tell (us) that Putin is a murderer and this is not rhetoric,” Zelenskiy told a news conference in Paris,
Zelenskiy signed a security pact with France on Friday, hours after securing a similar deal with Germany hailed by its chancellor, Olaf Scholz, as a “historic step” to lock in support for Kyiv in its battle against Russia. Both agreements were part of Zelenskiy’s drive to shore up help for his forces in Avdiivka. The 10-year agreement with France included a French pledge for up to €3bn (£2.6bn/$3.2bn) in aid for 2024, officials said. On Saturday, Zelenskiy will address the Munich Security Conference, taking place against a backdrop of conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East and debate over the future of Nato.
