Alexey Navalny’s wife says lab tests show he was poisoned before death

Yulia Navalnaya urges 2 laboratories successful antithetic countries to merchandise analyses of smuggled samples.

The widow of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny says laboratory tests uncover that helium was poisoned earlier his death successful prison past year.

Yulia Navalnaya made the accusation successful a video posted connected X connected Wednesday, suggesting that her husband, who died successful a distant Arctic penal colony, was murdered.

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The 47-year-old anticorruption campaigner, who was serving a 19-year condemnation astatine the clip of his death, was an outspoken professional of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Navalnaya said that earlier his burial, his allies “were capable to get and securely transportation biologic samples of Alexey abroad”. They were past sent to 2 laboratories for testing, she added.

“These labs successful 2 antithetic countries reached the aforesaid conclusion: Alexey was killed. More specifically, helium was poisoned,” Navalnaya said.

Navalnaya, who did not springiness further accusation astir the samples oregon the results of the tests, urged the laboratories to merchandise their findings astir what she called the “inconvenient truth”.

There was nary contiguous remark from the Kremlin, which has denied immoderate engagement successful Navalny’s death. Authorities person antecedently said helium died abruptly portion connected a locomotion successful the IK-3 penal colony, located successful Kharp successful the Yamalo-Nenets region.

Russian investigators person said the absorption fig died from “a operation of disease”, a decision dismissed by Navalnaya.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexey Navalny [File: Yves Herman/Pool via Reuters]

Navalny was poisoned successful August 2020 successful Russia earlier being flown to Germany for treatment.

German officials confirmed astatine the clip that helium had been poisoned with the nervus cause Novichok. Then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel said determination were “serious questions that lone the Russian authorities tin and indispensable answer”.

The Kremlin has ever denied immoderate engagement successful Navalny’s illness.

After his recovery, Navalny returned to Russia, wherever helium was arrested upon accomplishment and sent to prison. He was yet convicted successful aggregate cases connected charges that included fraud and “extremism”. He and his supporters maintained these were politically motivated charges.

In his memoir Patriot, which was posthumously published successful October, Navalny wrote that helium was resigned to the anticipation of dying successful detention.

“I volition walk the remainder of my beingness successful situation and dice here,” helium wrote connected March 22, 2022.

“There volition not beryllium anybody to accidental goodbye to. … All anniversaries volition beryllium celebrated without me. I’ll ne'er spot my grandchildren.”

He besides predicted that Putin’s rule, which helium said was based connected “nothing but lies”, would yet “collapse”.