Biden about Navalny's death: I have no doubt

The prison service in Russia announced that Navalny, aged 47 and one of the nation's most prominent opposition leaders, passed away in a jail within the Arctic Circle on Friday. The official cause of death of the oppositionist given by the authorities is "Sudden Death Syndrome".

Alexei Navalny is dead, Reuters reported on February 16, citing a message from the Russian penal colony where the opposition figure and Kremlin critic was being held. Navalny was 47 years old. He was arrested in January 2021 at Moscow airport when he returned from Germany, where he was receiving treatment after a failed poisoning attempt.

President Biden said on Friday in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, "Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny's death, what has happened is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled. Not in Russia, not at home, not anywhere in the world."

He added that while US officials are unsure of the exact circumstances behind Navalny's death, there is "no doubt" it was "the consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did (...) God bless Alexei Navalny (...) His courage will not be forgotten."

The president also spoke of potential penalties for the Russian Federation, "We're looking at a whole number of options, (...) This tragedy reminds us of the stakes of this moment. We have to provide the funding so Ukraine can keep defending itself against Putin's vicious onslaught and war crimes."

Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalny, spoke at the Munich Security Conference. - I want to call on the entire international community, all the people in this room, so that we all unite and defeat this evil. To defeat this terrible regime that is currently in Russia," Alexei Navalny's widow said.

"This very regime and Vladimir Putin should be held personally responsible for all the terrible things they are doing to my country, our country, Russia over the past years. Thank you very much," she added.

Soruce: NBC News, USA Today