Reward for torture?

Navalny’s death: Putin promotes prison warden

Just a few days after the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison camp, rumors continue to swirl about the possible cause of death. Vladimir Putin has meanwhile promoted several prison officers and also the deputy head of the Russian prison authorities. Navalny's team sees this as a reward - Moscow denies this.

The Kremlin leader's latest promotions are under a dark star. One of them, Valery Boyarintsev, was no stranger to the job: According to Navalny's team, the deputy head of the FSIN prison authority is said to have been responsible for the Putin critic's torture in prison.

Kremlin circles are trying to propagate a natural cause of death. However, critics do not really want to believe this.(Bild: APA/AFP)

Harassment began the previous year
For Boyarintsev, at any rate, it is a considerable step up in his career - he is now Colonel General of the Russian Ministry of the Interior after all. "This must be seen as Putin's open reward for the torture," wrote Ivan Zhdanov from the Fund for Combating Corruption (FBK) on his Telegram channel.

Putin's henchman began his harassment in July 2023 in the course of a court hearing, when he restricted the opposition politician from buying food and everyday goods by order. According to Zhdanov, this was followed by further targeted malice against Navalny.

Moscow: "Quite an ordinary procedure"
 The promotion of the 53-year-old became known on Monday when the presidential decree was published in the legal database. In addition to Boyarintsev, three other law enforcement officers were promoted to the rank of general.

The Kremlin does not want to hear any criticism: spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed in a statement that this was a "completely normal procedure" and also denied any connection between Navalny's death and the promotions.

Body still not handedover
 Alexei Navalny died on Friday in the prison camp with the unofficial name "Polar Wolf" in the Siberian Arctic region of Yamal. The politician, weakened by repeated solitary confinement, is said to have collapsed during a tour of the icy prison yard and died despite attempts to resuscitate him. Numerous theories are circulating about the exact course of events - most international observers believe that the Kremlin was involved in Navalny's death.

However, despite international protests, the authorities are still refusing his relatives access to his body. Navalny's team, which accuses the Russian power apparatus of murder, sees this as an attempt at a cover-up.