Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny moved to Arctic penal colony but doing well, spokesperson says

Imprisoned Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, whose whereabouts weren’t recognized for over two weeks, has been moved to a penal colony within the Arctic, allies mentioned Monday.

The disappearance of Russia’s most outstanding opposition politician, who mobilized big protests earlier than being jailed in 2021, had spurred considerations from allies, rights teams and Western governments.

It signaled a possible jail switch, which may take weeks in Russia as prisoners are slowly moved by rail between far-flung amenities.

“Now we have discovered Alexei Navalny. He’s now in IK-3 within the settlement of Kharp within the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District,” his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, mentioned on social media.

“His lawyer visited him right this moment. Alexei is doing effectively,” Yarmysh added.

The district of Kharp, residence to about 5,000 folks, is situated above the Arctic Circle.

It’s “one of the vital northern and distant colonies,” mentioned Ivan Zhdanov, who manages Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Basis.

“Circumstances there are harsh, with a particular regime within the permafrost zone” and little or no contact with the surface world, Zhdanov mentioned.

Navalny was first jailed after surviving an try to assassinate him by poisoning.

A courtroom prolonged his sentence to 19 years on extremism prices, and dominated that he be moved to a safer, harsher jail.

“From the very starting, it was clear that authorities needed to isolate Alexei, particularly earlier than the elections,” Zhdanov additionally mentioned.

Russia is scheduled to carry a presidential vote in March. President Vladimir Putin is predicted to simply win a fifth time period.

Whereas Navalny’s location was nonetheless unknown, Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s chief of workers, mentioned on social media that, “The truth that that is taking place proper now (though Navalny ought to have been transferred to a different colony two months in the past) — now that ‘elections’ have been introduced and Navalny’s workforce has launched the ‘Russia with out Putin’ marketing campaign — is 0% unintentional and 100% immediately political handbook management from the Kremlin.

“It’s no secret to Putin who his principal opponent is in these ‘elections.’ And he needs to be sure that Navalny’s voice just isn’t heard. Which means that everybody ought to turn into Navalny’s voice,” Volkov mentioned.

Moscow has for years sidelined opposition figures from elections and political life, a clampdown that accelerated after the Kremlin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in 2022.  

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