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Word of Aleksei A. Navalny’s demise drew condemnation from throughout Europe on Friday, with leaders holding Russia’s authorities, and particularly President Vladimir V. Putin, answerable for the demise of the imprisoned Russian dissident.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who was in Germany on Friday for the Munich Security Conference, mentioned that Mr. Navalny “was killed by Putin, like 1000’s of others who have been tortured due to this one creature.”
Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, talking alongside Mr. Zelensky after signing a safety settlement with him in Berlin, expressed dismay on the experiences of Mr. Navalny’s demise, calling them “very miserable.”
“It’s terrible the way in which Russia has modified,” Mr. Scholz mentioned.
His predecessor as chancellor, Angela Merkel, who in 2020 succeeded in persuading Mr. Putin to permit Mr. Navalny to be flown to Berlin for remedy after being poisoned, expressed her “nice dismay” on the experiences of the opposition chief’s demise.
“He was a sufferer of Russia’s repressive state energy,” Ms. Merkel mentioned in an announcement. “It is horrible {that a} brave, fearless voice who stood up for his nation has been silenced by horrible strategies.”
Throughout her 16-year tenure, Ms. Merkel was thought of the one Western chief able to speaking with Mr. Putin. Despite his repeated makes an attempt to intimidate her, she insisted that he could be extra harmful if remoted, and maintained continuous contact with him. During her remaining go to to Moscow as chancellor in August 2021, Ms. Merkel urged the Russian president to launch Mr. Navalny, calling his detention “unacceptable.”
In France, which Mr. Zelensky was additionally visiting on Friday, President Emmanuel Macron mentioned: “In right this moment’s Russia, free spirits are put within the Gulag and condemned to demise. Anger and indignation.”
“I pay tribute to the reminiscence of Alexeï Navalny, his dedication and his braveness,” Mr. Macron wrote on the social platform X. “My ideas are together with his household, his family members and the Russian individuals.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, whose nation has lengthy been an outspoken critic of Russia’s detention of Mr. Navalny, in addition to its broader crackdown on dissent, referred to as Mr. Navalny’s demise “horrible.”
“As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated unimaginable braveness all through his life,” Mr. Sunak wrote on X. “My ideas are together with his spouse and the individuals of Russia, for whom it is a enormous tragedy.”
Britain has had a tense relationship with Russia for years, a rift that was deepened by the poisoning of two former Russian intelligence operatives on British soil within the final 20 years, the next expulsion of Russian diplomats from Britain, and Britain’s stalwart help of Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Mr. Sunak’s sentiments have been echoed by different leaders.
The European Union “holds the Russian regime for sole answerable for this tragic demise,” Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, mentioned on social media. Mr. Navalny, he added, “fought for the values of freedom and democracy. For his beliefs, he made the last word sacrifice.”
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary basic, mentioned Mr. Navalny had been “a powerful voice for freedom.” He added, “All the info needs to be established, and Russia has severe inquiries to reply.”
