The wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny vowed on Monday to continue the political work of her late husband, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin was responsible for his death.
“Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband, Alexei Navalny,” Yulia Navalnaya said in a YouTube video statement. “Putin killed the father of my children. Putin took away the most precious thing I had.”
Navalny was pronounced dead on Friday at the age of 47 in a prison camp in the Arctic Circle. Russian authorities have reported that the opposition leader died of “sudden death syndrome,” saying that he collapsed after returning from a walk on the grounds.
Navalny’s mother and his lawyers attempted to access his body at the morgue early on Monday morning but were turned away by Russian authorities, according to Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh.
Navalnaya alleged that her husband was the victim of “another of Putin’s novichok” nerve agent killings, referring to the military poison used to target Navalny several years ago.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Reuters as saying that the claims from the Navalny family were “absolutely unacceptable” and “frankly obnoxious.”
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Navalnaya said that the death of her husband represented an attempt by the Kremlin “to kill our hope, our freedom, our future.”
“I have no right to give up,” Navalnaya said. “I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny. I will continue to fight for our country, and I urge you to stand next to me.”
