“Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny arrives at Arctic prison, says he is in good spirits”
Alexei Navalny, the prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has confirmed his arrival at an Arctic prison and has said that he is in good spirits. Navalny’s team had lost contact with him since December 6th, when he was moved from another jail to the east of Moscow. However, his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, confirmed on December 25th that he had been found.
Navalny, who has been imprisoned since 2021, confirmed that he had been moved to the IK-3 penal colony in the northern town of Kharp, located 1,900km northeast of Moscow. IK-3 is known as one of the toughest jails in Russia, and most of its detainees have been convicted of serious crimes.
The US has expressed deep concern about Navalny’s wellbeing and conditions of detention, while Navalny’s team has accused Russian authorities of trying to isolate and suppress him.
Navalny rose to prominence as a campaigner against corruption and gained millions of views for his video investigations. He was poisoned in Siberia in 2020 with a nerve agent confirmed by Western laboratories, and upon his return to Russia in January 2021, he was immediately arrested.
Despite his imprisonment, Navalny maintains a presence on social media through his staff and lawyers. His team has grown increasingly worried about his wellbeing, especially after he failed to appear at several court hearings.
Navalny’s move to the remote Arctic prison has sparked concerns about the difficulty in accessing and providing legal support to him. His supporters believe that the move is part of the system’s efforts to isolate and suppress political prisoners.
Navalny’s imprisonment has drawn international attention, with many countries and human rights organizations advocating for his release. For now, Navalny remains in the remote Arctic prison, voicing his spirits through social media.