US intel suggests Putin unlikely to have ordered Navalny's killing: Report

US intelligence agencies have said that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably did not personally order the killing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny at an Arctic prison camp in February, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday (April 27).

Navalny, aged 47 at the time of his death, was known as one of Putin's most vocal critics within Russia. His allies, who have been labelled extremists by authorities, have accused Putin of orchestrating Navalny's killing and have said they would present evidence to support their accusation. 

The Kremlin has refuted any state involvement, with Putin describing Navalny's death as "sad" last month and expressing willingness to exchange the jailed politician with the West, on the condition that Navalny would not return to Russia.

Navalny's associates claimed discussions about such an exchange had been ongoing. According to unnamed sources familiar with the situation, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, US intelligence agencies have determined that Putin likely did not give the order to have Navalny killed in February.

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While Washington hasn't fully cleared Putin of responsibility for Navalny's death, it acknowledges Navalny was targeted by Russian authorities for years, jailed on what the West sees as politically motivated charges, and poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020. The Kremlin has denied involvement in the poisoning.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to the Journal's report, called it "empty speculation".

"I've seen the material, I wouldn't say it's high quality material that deserves attention," Peskov told reporters when asked about the matter.

The US evaluation considered various sources, including classified intel and public facts like the timing of Navalny's death, which coincided with Putin's reelection in March, according to sources cited by the paper. Leonid Volkov, a top aide to Navalny, dismissed the US findings as naive and absurd.

Also read | After Navalny’s death, wife of another Putin critic fears for his safety

What we know of Navalny's death 

Several days after the initial report of Alexei Navalny's death, there is still lack of information regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.

According to Russian reports, the 47-year-old went for a brief walk at his Siberian penal colony, complained of feeling unwell, and subsequently collapsed without regaining consciousness.

Navalny's family confirmed that the political activist passed away at 14:17 local time (09:17 GMT) on Friday, February 16.

The prison authorities where he was detained claimed he experienced "sudden death syndrome," as reported by his team.

(With inputs from agencies)