U. S. intelligence officials have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin most likely did not order the death of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to a source familiar with the matter.
While U. S. officials ultimately blame for the death of Navalny, who endured brutal situations during his imprisonment, the intelligence network has concluded that the Russian president was aware of the timing of his death, long before his arrest. or ordered it directly, according to the official.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
Shortly after Navalny’s death, President Biden said Putin was ultimately responsible, but did not accuse him of directly ordering his death.
At the time, Biden said the U. S. knew exactly what happened to Navalny, but “there’s no question” that his death “was the result of whatever Putin and his thugs did. “
Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known opponent and most persistent foe, died Feb. 16 in a remote penal colony above the Arctic Circle while serving a 19-year criminal sentence on extremism charges he dismissed as politically motivated.
He had been in jail since January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin.
Russian said Navalny died of herbal causes and vehemently denied any involvement in the poisoning and his death.
In March, a month after Navalny’s death, Putin won a landslide re-election for a fifth term, an outcome that has never been in doubt.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the U. S. intelligence decision.
Madhani writes for the Associated Press.
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