Putin probably did not order Navalny’s murder, according to US intelligence

That does not, however, absolve Vladimir Putin of all responsibility for the death, writes the American major newspaper the Wall Street Journal.

Saturday 27 April at 11:04 am

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny (47) was found dead in the prison camp where he was imprisoned on Friday 16 February this year.

Many, including Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya, believe that the Russian president killed Navalny.

American intelligence believes that Putin cannot be relieved of blame for Navalny’s death, but that he did not order the murder at this time, writes the WSJ.

According to the newspaper, certain European intelligence agencies have also been informed about the American analyses. The European intelligence sources have told the paper that it is doubtful that Navalny could have been harmed without Putin’s prior knowledge.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has rejected statements by the widow Yulia Navalnaya that it was Putin who killed the man.

In March, Putin called the death “a sad event” and claimed he had planned a prisoner exchange shortly before Navalny’s death. This was the first time the president referred to the opposition politician by name.

Also read: Navalnaya wants to show that the man’s death does not stop them: – Then they are wrong