Told he died of ‘natural causes,’ Navalny’s mom cites pressure for secret burial
Washington PostFeb 22
Navalny's Mother Demands Putin Returns Son's Body
The Facts
A Russian court has scheduled a closed-door hearing for March 4 in response to a lawsuit filed by Lyudmila Navalnaya, the mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died at a penal colony last week.
Navalnaya, who has reportedly made unsuccessful attempts to retrieve her son's body since Saturday, has appealed to Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin to release her late son's corpse so that she can "bury him humanely."
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
Anyone who isn't completely under the spell of Russian propaganda knows that Putin ordered the death of his staunchest critic. However, the Kremlin's cruelty in the matter didn't end with Navalny's murder, as authorities are now blackmailing his mother into holding a secret burial service. It's clear that investigators are trying to buy time before an independent examination can take place, so as to sweep the killing under the rug.
Pro-Russia narrative
Allegations about Pres. Putin being implicated in the death of Alexei Navalny are baseless. Putin's critics, particularly in the West, have been making false allegations about the Kremlin for years. Navalny died of natural causes, and this media hysteria is just Western propaganda to perpetuate widespread Russophobia.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Vladimir Putin will cease to hold the office of President of Russia by November 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
