Alexei Navalny, the prominent jailed Kremlin critic, has been missing for nearly a week following a serious health-related incident, as reported by his team. This alarming development raises significant concerns about his well-being and the conditions of his imprisonment.
Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, expressed the team's growing anxiety on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "It has already been the sixth day since we haven't known where Alexei is or what's happening to him."
The lack of information and communication with Navalny has intensified fears for his safety.
Court Hearings and Isolation
Navalny's absence was notably evident during court hearings at the prison, where he was supposed to be connected via video link. Prison officials attributed the absence to “electricity problems.”
Maria Pevchikh, Navalny's close ally and chair of the board of his Anti-Corruption Foundation, highlighted the gravity of the situation, saying, "Navalny's life is at great risk. He is in complete isolation right now.”
Navalny, 47, has been serving his prison sentence since 2021, following his return to Moscow from Germany. He had previously been in Germany for treatment after a nearly fatal poisoning attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
In August, Navalny received an additional 19-year jail term, with authorities accusing him of creating an organization that undermined public security through "extremist activities."
His team has repeatedly raised concerns about his deteriorating health in prison, including his frequent confinement to an isolation cell.
In a move seen as tightening control over Navalny’s communications, three of his lawyers were arrested in October. This action by Russian authorities has heightened worries about Navalny’s ability to communicate with the outside world. "Nobody is allowed to see me.
I am completely isolated from information," Navalny himself stated in a court hearing in October.
