The unexpected death of the main opponent of the Russian regime, Alekséi Navalny, has caused a wave of messages and reactions from numerous political leaders around the world. The main leaders of the European Union, as well as the president of the United States, Joe Biden, They point to the Russian state chaired by Vladimir Putin as the main responsible for the death of the opponent.

After years of exile, Navalny returned to Russia in 2021 after being poisoned with the Novichok nerve agentand has remained imprisoned ever since. in the Eurasian country. This Friday, the Russian prison authorities announced the death of Navalny, at the age of 47, and they claim not to know the reasons for his death: The political opponent was held in the Yamalo-Nenets prison, close to the Arctic Circle, to which he had been secretly transferred from near Moscow last December

Reactions in Spain

Pedro Sánchez did not take long to speak out about what happened, and claims to feel “shocked” by Navalni’s death, whom I considered “unfairly locked up by the Putin regime for his defense of human rights and democracy.” The highest representative of our country’s foreign policy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares, has joined Sánchez’s words, and has demanded “clarification of the circumstances of his death, which occurred during his imprisonment for political reasons”.

“Navalny’s death in prison represents another dark day for all those in Russia who fight against Putin’s authoritarian regime and in defense of human rights”: With these words, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, who also serves as spokesperson for the Sumar party, expressed his condolences.

The Popular Party has also referred to this death, through its Foreign Affairs Spokesperson in Congress, Carlos Floriano. The politician has stated that his party is “overwhelmed” by the news, and has also declared that Navalny “has been and will be a reference in the fight for freedom, dignity and human rights.” He added that the “example and legacy“of Navalny will always remain in the memory of supporters of democracy “in the face of authoritarian regimes like Putin’s”reports the Servimedia agency.

Reactions from Europe

For Úrsula Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Navalni’s death is “a grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about”. Through the social network

The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has expressed herself in similar terms: “Horrified by the death of the Sakharov Prize winner Alexei Navalny. Russia took his freedom and life, but not his dignity. Her fight for freedom is still alive,” Maltese politics has pointed out.

Josep Borrell, the highest representative of European diplomacy, has directly pointed to Vladimir Putin as responsible: “While we wait for more information, let’s be clear: this is Putin’s sole responsibility”. The high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has praised Navalni, whom he considers “a very brave man who dedicated his life to saving the honor of Russia, giving hope to democrats and civil society.”

Europe, dismayed

“In today’s Russia, free spirits are sent to the Gulag and sentenced to death. Anger and indignation”: these were the words issued by Emmanuel Macron in his X profile. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has noted that “This terrible news shows once again how Russia has changed and what kind of regime is in power in Moscow“, while Giorgia Meloni, joining the condolences of the rest of the European leaders, has asked for complete clarification of the “disturbing” death of Navalni.

The Italian Prime Minister wanted to express her deepest condolences to Navalni’s relatives, while the country’s Foreign Minister wanted to show Italy’s support to all those who fight “for democracy, for freedom of thought and for inalienable rights of every human being.”

NATO and the United States target Putin

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has declared that he is “deeply sad and troubled” before the news. “Russia has serious questions to answer,” Stoltenberg has indicated, who has recalled the position of the Atlantic alliance regarding the situation of Alexei Navalny: “NATO and its allies had long called for his release. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones”the head of the alliance has declared in his X profile.

In a speech during the Munich Security Conference, the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, has issued some comments and reproaches to the Putin regime, whom he blames for Navalny’s death: “If this is confirmed, it will be another sign of Putin’s brutality. Whatever they tell us, let’s be clear: Russia is responsible.”, reports the CNN television network. Also from Munich, the North American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has indicated that this event only highlights “the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built.”

The statements of Zelensky and Navalni’s wife

Russia’s main enemy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, does not doubt the authorship of this death: “Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison: for me it is obvious that he was murdered“, declared the Ukrainian president, who added that the opponent has died “like thousands of people who have been tortured to death because of this one Russian leader.”

Navalny’s wife, affected by the news, has not held back when it comes to condemning the actions of the Russian regime: Yulia Navalnaya has stated that Putin and his entourage “will pay” for her husband’s death. “I want them to know that they will be punished for what they have done to our country, to my family and to my husband.”