Navalny had been serving a prison sentence on charges of extremism and was moved to a high-security penal colony before his death.
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny died in prison in February, 2024.
US intelligence agencies assessed that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not order Navalny's death at the time.
US intelligence agencies have reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not order the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny at a prison camp in February, despite widespread belief to the contrary. The assessment did not dispute Putin's culpability for Navalny's death but suggested that the timing may not have been as intended by him.
Navalny, who was serving a prison sentence on charges of extremism that were widely criticized as trumped up by the international community, had been repeatedly targeted by the Kremlin and Russian authorities for years. He was moved in December from his former prison to a high-security penal colony in the Arctic Circle.
The cause of Navalny's death remains unknown, but US intelligence sources believe that Putin most likely did not order it at that moment. The findings have been accepted within the intelligence community and shared across several wings of intelligence in Washington, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the State Department's intelligence unit.
Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnya, has directly accused Putin of ordering his husband's killing. The Kremlin has rejected allegations of state involvement in Navalny's death and described US intelligence findings as 'empty speculation'.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the circumstances of Navalny's death, it overshadowed Russia's sham presidential election that took place a month later, which handed Putin another term in power.
US intelligence agencies found that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not order opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s death at a prison camp in February.
The assessment did not dispute Putin’s culpability for the death but suggested the timing may not have been as intended by him.
Vladimir Putin is believed to have probably not directly ordered the killing of Alexei Navalny
Navalny was serving a prison sentence on charges of extremism that were widely criticized as trumped up by the international community
Navalny had been repeatedly targeted by the Kremlin and Russian authorities for years
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The article reports on US intelligence agencies concluding that Putin likely did not directly order Navalny's killing. This is an example of an Appeal to Authority fallacy as the article relies on the conclusion of US intelligence agencies without providing any evidence or reasoning as to why their conclusion is valid. However, the article also states that Putin's culpability for Navalny's death was not disputed due to the conditions he was being held in and constant harassment he faced. This statement does not contain a fallacy.
][I've seen the material, I wouldn't say it's high quality material that deserves attention,][/] Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissing the US intelligence report as 'empty speculation.'
