Renowned journalist Christo Grozew to investigate Alexei Navalny's death amid suspicions of Putin's involvement

It's been almost a week since Navalny passed away. His family is yet to receive his body. The information has been released that the body will not be made available for another 14 days due to the required "chemical tests". Julia Navalnaya, his wife, alleges that he was killed by Novichok, under the orders of Vladimir Putin.

Christo Grozew, an investigative journalist and the chief Russia researcher for Bellingcat (a British investigative organization), played a pivotal role in exposing the Kremlin's scheme that aimed to poison the opponent years ago. Now, as Grozew discussed with Meduza, he intends to initiate another journalistic investigation.

This time, it's about the circumstances surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny in the penal colony.

"The advantage of a smaller and remote place like Charp is that any traces left by potential assassins would be more noticeable. We are not just talking about bills or flight data, but also potential witnesses. Searching for them in a large city is different than noticing an FSB car driving through a small village, which would be visible from every window," said Meduza's interviewee.

The official narrative says that Alexei Navalny fell ill after a walk and rapidly lost consciousness. Allegedly, attempts at resuscitation were futile. The task of saving Navalny was allegedly assigned to Alexei Lisyuk, a 39-year-old medic. But was it the case? What role was Lisyuk playing under these circumstances? Navalny's associates are investigating these points.

"We will examine it. However, if it was a planned operation, Lisyuk was probably ordered not to interfere. But he couldn't because he does not possess the required skills. It is unlikely that a person with such a background could execute a murder unless involved in the final stage [...]" - assessed Christo Grozew.

Grozew, quoting "his informants," revealed Putin's speculated upcoming plans.

"I already received warnings from my sources that we may witness a wave of repression and murders. And that Vladimir Putin has 'special plans' for Russian opposition leaders. If these reports are valid, then the imprisoned [Ilja] Yashin and [Vladimir] Kara-Murza are particularly at risk," he highlighted during a conversation with a Russian news outlet.

Does Alexei Navalny's death symbolize the end of hope for a free Russia? According to Grozew, this could merely be the beginning of changes in the country.

"In the hours after the news [of Navalny's death] broke, many businesspersons, who had longstanding ties with Russia, began receiving messages from their Russian contacts who are mid-tier oligarchs, expressing how they 'can no longer remain passive'," said the investigative journalist.

Christo Grozew also noted that some Russian businessmen recorded video messages for Navalny's family and, through friends, tried to convey them to his widow. "In these videos, they denounce the regime using words that we or I would use," Grozew emphasized.

Could the death of an opponent, who was a significant cause of concern for Vladimir Putin, lead to changes in Russia? At the moment, it is too early to determine. But it may become apparent that resistance against the president and his entourage may paradoxically start growing. The country is not without problems, and Putin is gearing up for the March elections as though he has already secured victory.