Opponents of Vladimir Putin have an unfortunate tendency: they die unexpectedly.
Alexei Navalny, often presented as the No. 1 critic, died in prison this Friday, February 16 in a penal colony in the Arctic.
Aged 47, he was serving a 19-year prison sentence there.
Le Figaro
traces the main dates of this virulent opponent of Vladimir Putin.
To discover
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December 5, 2011
Vladimir Putin, then prime minister of Dimitri Medvedev, emerged as the big winner (nearly 50% of the votes) in the legislative elections.
The results are disputed, and huge demonstrations take place in Moscow.
Alexeï Navalny emerges from his condition of unknown lawyer with a slogan: “
A Russia without Putin
”.
He was imprisoned and created his anti-corruption foundation the same year.
September 8, 2013
Navalny was convicted in July 2013 of corruption, a trial denounced as political by the European Union and human rights groups.
He nevertheless presents himself as a candidate for the Moscow municipal elections and focuses his campaign on the denunciation of migrants and Putin's policies.
Sergei Sobyanin, close to the head of the Kremlin, was however re-elected in the first round.
The result is contested and gives rise to significant media coverage by Alexeï Navalny.
Read alsoRussia: the prison torture of opponent Navalny in the Arctic
December 13, 2016
Alexeï Navalny ran for the presidential election in December 2016. Several legal proceedings were launched against him and he spent several stays in prison.
He is focusing his campaign around denouncing Vladimir Putin's policies, his desire to reform the State and Russian justice, and to get closer to the West.
His candidacy was, however, rejected.
August 20, 2020
The opponent of Vladimir Putin was urgently hospitalized on August 20, 2020 in an intensive care unit in Omsk.
Those around him very quickly suspected an attempted poisoning.
He was finally exfiltrated to Berlin for treatment.
The government claims to have found traces of Novichok, a poison used by Russian services.
On January 17, 2021, he flew to Russia where he was immediately arrested.
Two days later, he published information which, according to him, proved that Vladimir Putin had vast financial assets, as well as luxury tastes.
February 16, 2024
Alexeï Navalny was transferred at the end of 2023 to a penal colony in the Arctic, with particularly harsh climatic conditions.
He was declared dead by Russian authorities on February 16, 2024.