Navalny, the longtime political opponent to Russian President Vladimir Putin,
died in prison Friday, according to Russia’s federal prison service. While the prison service said he collapsed during a walk, there was immediate speculation that Putin had a hand in his death. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “it’s obvious” that Putin killed him.
At Munich, news of Navalny’s death spread through the Bayerischer Hof hotel, leading to gasps and a blip of silence. Cramped hallways filled with talk about the passing of the staunch Vladimir Putin critic, with some attendees suggesting the Kremlin timed it to the conference.
Eyes on are the Biden administration in part because the U.S. president has previously made strong statements about Russia’s treatment of him. After President Joe Biden met with Putin in 2021, he was asked what would happen if Navalny were to die in Russian custody. Biden said that in his discussions with Putin, “I made it clear to him that I believe
the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia.”
The 44 American lawmakers in the Bavarian capital were similarly critical of the Russian leader.
“It confirms what we already knew about Vladimir Putin that he is a murderer,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Europe panel. “He is committing crimes against humanity, and he clearly engineered the death of his most well-known opponent.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), also a SFRC member, said that “the great heroes of freedom and liberty never really die. They become martyrs and symbols that often become more powerful in death than in life.”
“It’s likely that Putin and his stooges will rue the day they locked Navalny away to die,” Murphy added.
