Russian authorities have extended the deadline for a preliminary probe into the still unexplained death of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The deadline has been pushed back until April 20, with no official information released by the government regarding the cause of death.
Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges, passed away in February at a remote Arctic penal colony. While penitentiary authorities stated that Navalny felt unwell and fainted after a walk in the prison yard, the exact cause of death remains undisclosed.
Navalny's allies and Western leaders have attributed his death to the Kremlin, a claim vehemently denied by Russian officials. His sudden passing led to a funeral in a Moscow suburb, attended by thousands of mourners amidst a heavy police presence.
Navalny, who had been imprisoned since January 2021, had returned to Moscow after recovering from nerve agent poisoning in Germany, which he blamed on the Kremlin. Talks of a potential prisoner swap involving Navalny were reportedly in the final stages before his demise.
While accusations were made against Putin for orchestrating Navalny's death to avoid the prisoner exchange, no concrete evidence has been presented to support these claims. Putin, on the other hand, mentioned that there were discussions about exchanging Navalny for individuals held in Western penitentiary facilities, but the plan did not materialize.
U.S. officials have clarified that there were no talks between Russia and the United States regarding a potential swap involving Alexei Navalny and Western prisoners.
