Alexei Navalny's widow has claimed her husband was poisoned by “one of Putin's other Novichok gases” and said she would “soon reveal details” about why he was killed.
In a video statement on Monday, Yulia Navalnaya accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing her husband and then “hiding” his body to ensure traces of the nerve agent disappeared.
It comes after Mr Navalny's mother was denied access to the morgue where his body is believed to be.
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Ms. Navalnaya pledged to name those involved in his death, and said he was killed because Putin “couldn’t break him.”
Yulia Navalnaya said that her husband could not be broken by Putin. Pic: free.navalny.com
“They are despicable and cowardly people who are now hiding his body, not showing it, not giving it to his mother, and they are lying pathetically and waiting for traces of another Novichok from Putin to disappear there,” she said.
“My husband cannot be broken. This is exactly why Putin killed him. It is shameful and cowardly and he does not dare to look him in the eye or even say his name.
“We will tell you about it soon. We will definitely find out who exactly carried out this crime and exactly how. We will mention the names and show the faces.”
Salute to Navalny. Photo: AP
Many world leaders have blamed Putin and his government Mr. Navalny diesThese are accusations that the Kremlin strongly rejected.
Criticizing the statements made by the United States and other Western countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the “hateful” statements would not harm the Russian president.
The mother is “not allowed” in the morgue
The 47-year-old's body was reportedly taken to the morgue at Salekhard District Clinical Hospital, but Mr Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his lawyer were “not allowed inside” after traveling to see his body.
Alexei Navalny's mother Lyudmila Navalnaya and his lawyer Alexei Tsvetkov. Photo: Reuters
The Investigative Committee then informed Navalny's allies, including his relative, that “the cause of his death remains unknown” and the investigation into how he died was extended, according to Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh.
Ms Yarmysh accused the committee of lying and trying to “buy time for themselves” – claiming officials' refusal to hand over his body was part of a cover-up for his “murder”.
“Alexey’s mother and his lawyers arrived at the morgue early in the morning,” she said.
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“They were not allowed in. One of the lawyers was literally thrown out. When the staff was asked if Alexei's body was there, they did not answer.”
A widow urges her supporters to “fight”
Addressing Navalny's supporters, Navalnaya urged them to “stand by her” and “share anger and hatred towards those who dared to kill our future.”
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Navalny's flowers removed from the memorial in St. Petersburg
She said she would continue her husband's work and that she was not afraid, and she encouraged her husband's allies to “keep fighting.”
“The free, peaceful, just and beautiful Russia of the future that my husband dreamed of is what we need,” she said. “I want to live in it.”
Navalny was Russia's most prominent opposition leader and has been behind bars since his return to Moscow after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning in 2021.
He died in a penal colony in the Arctic on Friday, with authorities claiming he had died I collapsed after walking.
