Navalny’s wife accuses Putin of murdering husband with deadly novichok…then hiding body until traces of the toxin vanish
ALEXEI Navalny's heartbroken wife has accused Vladimir Putin of murdering her husband with the deadly nerve agent novichok.
The sensational claims come as Russian authorities continue to refuse to let Navalny's family see his body as wife Yulia Navalnaya, 47, calls out the Kremlin for "lying and waiting" for the toxins to vanish.
Navalny was found dead at the feared "Polar Wolf" jail, where he was serving a three-decade sentence, as he went on a walk, said prison authorities.
Russia gave the official cause of death as "sudden death syndrome" on Saturday, say Navalny's family and lawyer.
But no one has been allowed to see his body yet outside of Russian cops and selected emergency responders as an autopsy is still yet to be conducted.
This has led to speculation over his 'real' cause of death as many fear the worse for Putin's biggest critic.
Russian authorities have now said his body won't be handed over for another two weeks “until a chemical examination is completed", according to Navalny's former campaign manager Ivan Zhdanov.
They hide his body, don't show it to his mother, don't give it to her to mourn. They lie and wait for the traces of another Putin's Novichok to disappear
Yulia Navalnaya
In a deeply emotional video posted on Navalny's YouTube account, Yulia added to these claims saying: "Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband Alexei Navalny.
“Putin killed the father of my children. Putin took away the most precious I had in my life - my most dear and the most loved man.
"Putin wanted to kill our hopes, our freedom, our future. To destroy and nullify it.
“My husband couldn't be broken, and that's exactly why Putin killed him."
Yulia hadn't seen her husband for two years before his tragic death as he was behind bars and she was staying outside of Russia with their two kids Dasha, 22 and Zahar, 15.
The loving widow continued her verbal scolding of Putin and his cronies as she blasted the tyrant for his "cowardly" ways.
She claimed her husband was killed by "shameful" Putin as he ordered Navalny's death "without ever daring to look him in the eye".
Yulia then continued the brave speech saying: "They hide his body, don't show it to his mother, don't give it to her to mourn.
“They lie and wait for the traces of another Putin's novichok to disappear."
We need to use every opportunity to fight against war, against corruption, against injustice, to fight for fair elections and freedom of speech, to fight to take our country back
Yulia Navalnaya
The video went out to Navalny's 6.23million YouTube subscribers as Yulia called on his supporters to “gather ourselves together in one strong fist and strike at this mad regime, at Putin, at his friends, at the thugs in uniform… and murderers who are ruining our country."
She ended the passionate speech with a message to the people of Russia, saying: "Alexei loved Russia more than anything in the world, loved our country.
“He did believe in you, in us, in our strength, in our future, in the fact that we deserve better.
“He believed not just in words, but in deeds so deeply and sincerely that he was ready to give his life for it.
"We need to use every opportunity to fight against war, against corruption, against injustice, to fight for fair elections and freedom of speech, to fight to take our country back."
What is novichok?
NOVICHOK - the Russian for newcomer - applies to a group of advanced nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union.
They were known as fourth-generation chemical weapons and are reported to be five times more potent than the notorious VX gas.
According to scientists who worked on the program, the aim was to create extremely potent nerve agents that were undetectable to normal instruments.
The poision was designed to be made of two relatively harmless materials which are mixed together when needed, making it easier and safer to store and transport.
Novichok agents, dispersed as an ultra-fine powder or gel rather than vapour, belong to the class of inhibitors called "organophosphate acetylcholinesterase".
They prevent the normal breakdown of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine which, when it builds up, causes muscles to contract involuntarily.
Because the victim's heart and diaphragm aren't functioning properly, this leads to respiratory and cardiac arrest.
Those affected usually die from total heart failure or suffocation as copious fluid secretions fill their lungs.
But even if they don't die, the substance can also cause severe nerve damage, leaving victims permanently disabled, Russian scientists have said.
BRUISES AND POISON
Navalny was the Kremlin's leading domestic critic in Russia and had bravely challenged Putin's rule and the horrific war in Ukraine.
His supporters always feared he would be assassinated while behind bars.
Blockbuster claims from paramedics who have allegedly seen his corpse revealed he had bruises all over his body when the corpse was sent to the morgue.
Navalny has consistent marks that could show he was "murdered" under Vladimir Putin’s chilling regime after it was suggested he suffered a seizure in jail, sources said.
His level of bruising could point towards someone holding him down as he was convulsing, says the source.
"We see an intentional murder in front of our eyes, not something else," she said.
“Not even death from hard conditions (in the Arctic jail).”
People in Russia have said he could have potentially been drugged or poisoned inside the colony run by Colonel Vadim Kalinin, 51.
Former FSB colonel Gennady Gudkov, 67, an opposition politician like Navalny, backed these theories.
He said: “He was kept… in torture conditions.
“Either his body did not overcome such torture (or) they might have given some medication that causes heart failure, they could have given a poison.
“We will only learn the truth when Putin is gone. The fact that they killed him is beyond any doubt.”
The Kremlin's spies also allegedly visited Alexei Navalny's prison just days before he died.
Hundreds have been arrested in Russia for trying to place flowers to honour Navalny or protesting over his death.
As countries all across the world took to the streets to demand answers over the suspicious death.
Even world leaders called for the truth to come out.
Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed they knew Putin was behind it as David Cameron scolded Putin for his role in Navalny's death saying "we should hold Putin accountable" as he blasted Russia's "dreadful" regime.
HISTORY OF NOVICHOK
Navalny was poisoned by the Soviet-era nerve agent novichok in August 2020, which he claimed was an assassination attempt by the Kremlin.
The findings were confirmed by labs in France and Sweden as by a novichok nerve agent but the Kremlin denies any involvement.
Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were also poisoned by novichok in the UK in 2018.
He was a self-professed "number one enemy" of Putin's has blamed Russia "100 per cent" for the poisoning.
Russia claimed it had "no reason" to investigate any potential suspects after the Salisbury poisoning.
Fears are also growing for the jailed British Kremlin critic who is "clearly next" on Putin's kill-list following the sudden death of Alexei Navalny.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Vladimir Kara-Murza, 42, who was sentenced to 25 years last April in a hellhole Siberian prison, is both "very ill" and a "prime target" for the despot, an expert warned The Sun.
He suffers from a nerve disorder after two poisonings in 2015 and 2017 that he blames on the Kremlin.
Timeline around Navalny's death
A TIMELINE published by Gulagu.net, a human rights group, revealed:
February 14: Several officers from the FSB, the Russian intelligence service, are said to have paid a visit to “Polar Wolf” prison — and proceeded to disconnect and dismantle some of the security cameras and listening devices there.
February 16, 2.17pm local time: Navalny, 47, was officially reported to have died.
February 16, 2.19pm: The prison service put out what appeared to be a prepared press release.
It read: “On February 16, 2024, in correctional colony No. 3, convict Navalny A.A. felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness."
February 16, 2.23pm: A state-controlled channel on the Telegram messaging site claimed the cause of death was a blood clot, or thrombosis.
February 16, 2.30pm: Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, fronted the media about Navalny's death.
February 16: US President Joe Biden blasted: "Make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny's death. Even in prison he was a powerful voice for the truth."
February 16: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "Obviously, Putin killed him."
February 17: Navalny's mum Lyudmila Navalnaya, 69, said to be told she couldn't see her son until an “examination” was completed.
February 17: Russian authorities claim the dad died of "sudden death syndrome".