Vladimir Putin's critics in Russia need the West's support, the widow of former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko said.
Marina Litvinenko's husband, a prominent critic of Putin, died in 2006 after being poisoned in London with polonium-210, a rare and extremely powerful radioactive isotope.
It is suspected that the killing of the former FSB agent was personally orchestrated by Putin, but Russia has always denied any involvement.
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After the death of another critic of the Russian leader. Alexei Navalny, Ms. Litvinenko said she could not remain silent.
Alexei Navalny in 2022. Photo: AP
“You can't expect anything else from Putin”
Litvinenko described Putin as a “monster” and said she was “shocked” when she heard the news of Navalny's death, but she had “no doubt” that the Russian president was responsible.
Speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News Breakfast, she said: “You can't expect anything else from Putin.”
When asked if she felt afraid to speak out against the Russian regime, she replied, “I don't,” adding that living in fear is what Putin wants.
Alexander Litvinenko died in 2006 after being poisoned. Photo: AP
“I think more about the people who live in Russia, they have a more dangerous life, but they still work abroad,” she said.
“They need support, and we live here in the West, and we need to support these people in Russia.
“We have to do everything to save the lives of these people, otherwise Putin’s regime will achieve its results.”
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When asked What Western governments should do to help political prisoners in Russia Litvinenko said they need to question whether sanctions against Russian individuals and organizations are actually effective.
He added: “After the sanctions, there will still be some companies that supply the Russian economy with very essential materials used in war [with Ukraine]”, She said.
“This is the big question: Are sanctions working?”
Mr. Navalny dies It was reported on FridayWhile the cause of death remains unknown, Western leaders have made clear that they hold the Russian regime ultimately responsible.
Prison authorities claimed that the opposition leader felt unwell and lost consciousness after walking through a penal colony within the Arctic Circle.
Lyudmila Navalnaya, mother of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Photo: Reuters
Over the weekend, Navalny's allies struggled to locate his body, and as of Monday, Russia's Investigative Committee said the investigation was continuing and the cause of death remained unknown.
It comes after Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, said the politician's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and a lawyer arrived at the morgue to see his body, but were not allowed inside.
“One of the lawyers was literally fired. When the staff was asked if Alexei's body was there, they didn't answer,” she wrote on X.
