Alexei Navalny’s widow has accused Russian authorities of killing her husband with the nerve agent novichok, famously used in the 2018 Salisbury attack in the UK.
In a video statement posted to YouTube, Yulia Navalnaya said her late husband’s body is being hidden as Russian authorities wait for “traces of yet another of Putin’s novichok to disappear.”
She continued: “My husband could not be broken. And that’s exactly why Putin killed him. Shameful, cowardly, not daring to look into his eyes or simply say his name.
“And as vile and cowardly they are now hiding his body, they are not showing it, not giving it to his mother, and they are pathetically lying and waiting for the traces of yet another of Putin’s novichok to disappear there.”
She vowed to continue the legacy of her husband, not only by uncovering those involved in his death but by publicly naming them.
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She repeatedly blamed Vladimir Putin directly for Navalny’s death.
She said: “Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband … We know exactly why Putin killed Alexei three days ago. We will tell you soon about it. We will also definitely find out who exactly and how exactly this crime was committed. We will name names and show faces.”
Novichok, the nerve agent Navalnaya believes was used to kill Navalny, was famously used in 2018 in the Salisbury poisonings of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
It ended up being a botched assassination attempt on Sergei, who was a former Russian military officer who was working with British intelligence agencies in Salisbury. Both spent days in hospital before being discharged, surviving the event.
British authorities say the poisoning had almost certainly been approved “at a senior level of the Russian state.” Moscow has vehemently denied the allegations.
While the Skripals survived, the attack later claimed the life of a British woman and left a man and a police officer seriously ill.
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Navalnaya continued: “The most important thing we can do for Alexei and for ourselves is to continue to fight. I will continue the life work of Alexei Navalny. I call on you to stand with me.”
Following the news of her husband’s death, Navalnaya spoke at a conference in Germany, denouncing the lies of the Putin regime. She said: “They are lying constantly. They will be brought ot justice, and this day will come soon.”
Russian prison authorities announced on Friday that Navalny fell unconscious and passed away after feeling unwell on a walk. The Kremlin has denied involvement in his death.
