News of Aleksei A. Navalny’s death drew condemnation from across Europe on Friday, with leaders holding Russia’s government, specifically President Vladimir V. Putin, responsible for the jailed Russian dissident’s death.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in Germany on Friday for the Munich Security Conference, said Mr Navalny was “killed by Putin, like thousands of others who were tortured because of this creature”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking at Mr Zelensky’s side after signing a security deal with him in Berlin, expressed dismay at reports of Mr Navalny’s death, calling them “very depressing”.
“It’s awful the way Russia has changed,” Mr Scholz said.
His predecessor as chancellor, Angela Merkel, who in 2020 managed to persuade Mr Putin to allow Navalny to be flown to Berlin for treatment after the poisoning, expressed her “great disappointment” at reports of her leader’s death opposition.
“He was a victim of Russia’s repressive state power,” Ms Merkel said in a statement. “It is terrible that a courageous, fearless voice that stood up for his country was silenced by terrible methods.”
Throughout her 16-year tenure, Ms. Merkel was seen as the only Western leader capable of communicating with Mr. Putin. Despite his repeated attempts to intimidate her, she insisted that he would be more dangerous if she isolated herself and maintained constant contact with him. During her last visit to Moscow as chancellor in August 2021, Ms Merkel urged the Russian president to release Mr Navalny, calling his arrest “unacceptable”.
In France, which Mr Zelensky also visited on Friday, President Emmanuel Macron said: “In today’s Russia, free spirits are put in Gulags and sentenced to death. Anger and resentment.”
“I pay tribute to the memory of Alexei Navalny, his commitment and his courage,” Mr Macron wrote on social platform X. “My thoughts are with his family, loved ones and the Russian people.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, whose country has long been an outspoken critic of Russia’s detention of Mr Navalny, as well as a wider crackdown on dissent, called Mr Navalny’s death “terrible”.
“As the staunchest supporter of Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny displayed incredible courage throughout his life,” Mr Sunak wrote in X. “My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this it’s a huge tragedy.”
Britain has had strained relations with Russia for years, a rift deepened by the poisoning of two former Russian intelligence agents on British soil in the past two decades, Britain’s subsequent expulsion of Russian diplomats and Britain’s steadfast support for Ukraine since Full scale Russian invasion.
Mr Sunak’s sentiments were echoed by other leaders.
The European Union “holds the Russian regime solely responsible for this tragic death,” Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said on social media. Mr. Navalny, he added, “fought for the values of freedom and democracy. For his ideals, he made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, said Mr Navalny was “a strong voice for freedom”. He added: “All facts must be proven and Russia has serious questions to answer.”
