Video appeal to Putin

Navalny’s mother: “Let me see my son”

(Bild: Associated Press)

In a video appeal, the mother of dead Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release her son's body. "I turn to you, Vladimir Putin. The decision of the question depends only on you. Let me finally see my son," said Lyudmila Navalnaya. 

"I demand that Alexei's body be released immediately so that I can bury him in a humane manner," she said. She has been waiting for the fifth day outside the Siberian prison camp to be allowed to see Navalny. She has yet to receive the body or be told where it will be kept.

After the short speech by Navalny, who was visibly marked by grief, the Orthodox church on the grounds of the prison camp could be seen in the video behind the barbed wire. According to Russian Orthodox custom, the deceased are actually buried on the third day after their death at the latest.

Lyudmila Navalnaya's appeal was published on YouTube:

Is the Kremlin trying to cover up murder?
Despite international protests, the authorities are still refusing relatives access to Navalny's body. His team, which accuses the Russian power apparatus of murder, sees this as an attempt at a cover-up. More than 70,000 people in Russia have already signed an appeal for the body to be handed over to his relatives.

The Kremlin has not yet commented on the appeal or Navalny's mother's request. Instead, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow rejected the accusations made by Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya as "unfounded and outrageous". In a video message on Monday, the 47-year-old had blamed Putin for Navalny's death in the prison camp with the unofficial name "Polar Wolf" and announced that she would continue her husband's fight against the Kremlin leader's system.

Navalny died on Friday in the penal camp in the Siberian Arctic region of Yamal. The politician, weakened by a poison attack in 2020 and repeated solitary confinement in the camp, is said to have collapsed during a tour of the icy prison yard and died despite resuscitation attempts. Navalny was 47 years old at the time of his death.

Kremlin spokesman defends brutal crackdown on mourners
Peskov said that neither he nor Putin had watched the video message. In view of the fact that "Yulia Navalnaya has just been widowed", he wanted to hold back from commenting. At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman defended the brutal action taken by security forces against Russians who laid flowers and lit candles in many cities across the country in memory of the deceased Putin opponent. The uniformed officers had fulfilled their task in accordance with the law, said Peskov.

The mother of the deceased Kremlin critic addressed Putin directly from Siberia.

(Bild: Associated Press)

Deputy head of the prison authority promoted: "Putin rewards torture"
Meanwhile, Putin's simultaneous promotion of high-ranking prison officials sparked fierce criticism. The deputy head of the FSIN prison authority, Valery Boyarinev, who was promoted to Colonel General of the Ministry of the Interior, was personally responsible for Navalny's torture in prison, wrote Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Fund for Combating Corruption (FBK) founded by Navalny, on Telegram. "This must be understood as Putin's open reward for the torture."

In July 2023, an order by Boyarinev to restrict the opposition politician's ability to buy food and daily necessities became known during a court hearing against Navalny. Normally, prisoners can use their money to supplement their own meagre rations in the prison store. According to Zhdanov, the newly appointed colonel general was also responsible for further harassment against Navalny.

"Ordinary procedure"
The promotion of the 53-year-old became known on Monday, three days after Navalny's death, when the presidential decree was published in the legal database. In addition to Boyarinev, three other law enforcement officers were promoted to the rank of general. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any connection between Navalny's death and the promotions. These were a normal procedure, he said.