U.S. Intelligence Finds ‘No Smoking Gun’ That Putin Ordered the Death of Navalny

WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn’t order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to an official familiar with the determination.

While U.S. officials believe Putin was ultimately responsible for the death of Navalny, who endured brutal conditions during his confinement, the intelligence community has found “no smoking gun” that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny’s death—which came soon before the Russian president’s reelection—or directly ordered it, according to the official.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

Soon after Navalny’s death, U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin was ultimately responsible but did not accuse the Russian president of directly ordering it.

At the time, Biden said the U.S. did not know exactly what had happened to Navalny but that “there is no doubt” that his death “was the consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did.”

Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known opposition politician and Putin’s most persistent foe, died Feb. 16 in a remote penal colony above the Arctic Circle while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he rejected as politically motivated.

He had been behind bars since January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Russian officials have said only that Navalny died of natural causes and have vehemently denied involvement both in the poisoning and in his death.

In March, a month after Navalny’s death, Putin won a landslide reelection for a fifth term, an outcome that was never in doubt.

The Wall Street Journal first reported about the U.S. intelligence determination.

Get the latest work and career updates delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing to our magazine category today. Stay informed and ahead of the game with Subscrb.

The content on this website has been curated from various sources and is for informational purposes only. We do not claim ownership of any of the content posted here, all rights belong to their respective authors. While we make every effort to ensure that the information is accurate and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its completeness or accuracy. Any opinions or views expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and do not necessarily represent our own. We do not endorse or take responsibility for the content or actions of external websites or individuals linked from this website. Any reliance on the information provided on this website is done at your own risk. Please note that this article was originally seen on the source website TIME, by the author Aamer Madhani / AP