Kremlin says West's ‘obnoxious’ reaction to Navalny's death is unacceptable

The Kremlin said on Monday that the West's reaction to Alexei Navalny's death was unacceptable but that the obnoxious statements from the US and Europe would not harm President Vladimir Putin.

“We consider it absolutely unacceptable to make such, well, frankly obnoxious statements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“These statements, of course, cannot cause any damage to our head of our state,” Peskov said.

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Peskov said the investigation into Navalny's death was ongoing and is being conducted in accordance with Russian law.

Asked how Putin reacted to news of the death, Peskov said: “I have nothing to add.”

Navalnys widow Yulia: I will continue my husband’s fight

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said on Monday that she would continue her husband’s fight for a free Russia and called on supporters to battle President Vladimir Putin with greater fury than ever.

“I want to live in a free Russia, I want to build a free Russia,” Navalnaya said in a video message entitled “I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny.”

“Vladimir Putin killed my husband,” Navalnaya said, adding that she would work with the Russian people to battle with the Kremlin to create a new Russia.

Yulia Navalnaya, wife of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, attends the Munich Security Conference (MSC), on the day it was announced that Alexei Navalny is dead by the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence, in Munich, Germany, on February 16, 2024. (Reuters)

The Kremlin has denied involvement in his death.

“By killing Alexei, Putin killed half of me -- half of my heart and half of my soul,” Navalnaya said.

“But I still have the other half, and it tells me that I have no right to give up. I will continue the work of Alexei Navalny, continue to fight for our country.”

“I urge you to stand next to me,” she said. “I ask you to share the rage with me. Rage, anger, hatred towards those who dared to kill our future.”

Navalnaya accused the Russian authorities of hiding Navalny’s body and of waiting for traces of the Novichok nerve agent to disappear from his body.

“We know exactly why Putin killed Alexei three days ago,” she said. “We will tell you about it soon. We will definitely find out who exactly carried out this crime and how exactly. We will name the names and show the faces.”

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