• Navalny, Putin's number one opponent, died in prison at the age of 47.
• Biden: “I’m not surprised, but I’m outraged, Putin is responsible for this.”
• UN: “Moscow must end the persecution of politicians, activists and journalists.”
• Navalny's wife: “This is proof of Putin's brutality”
3:42 p.m. – There is silence in the state media and there is a storm about Navalny on social media
Navalny's death received little coverage in Russian state media, in contrast to the storm of news and commentary that swept social media. Public television provided little news and with a long delay, without going into detail about the opponent or the reasons for his imprisonment. In one case, a liberal politician, Yabloko Party leader Nikolai Rybakov, attempted to exert influence during an interview with the NTV television channel. “I cannot help but express my condolences on the death of Alexei Navalny, and I hope that this will lead to the release of all political prisoners,” Rybakov said before being interrupted by the moderator, who asked him what this had to do with the topic do that was discussed at the time.
However, on social media in Russia, Navalny's death was the main topic, especially on the platform
– Candles and outside in memory of Navalny in front of the Russian embassy in Madrid (Afp)
12:53 p.m. – Navalny's spokeswoman: “They lie about the body and cover their tracks”
“Just an hour ago, the lawyers were told that the (medical examination of Alexei Navalny's body, editor's note) had been completed and no crime had been established: they literally lie every time, go around in circles and blur their Traces.” This was said by Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh after a series of contradictory information about the dissident's body, which has not been returned to his family and will most likely be in the hands of the Russian authorities for days.
12:53 p.m. – Navalny's spokeswoman says his body is not in the Salekhard morgue in Russia
Alexei Navalny's aides said his body was not in the morgue in the Arctic city of Salekhard, the location specified by the Russian dissident's mother. “Aleksei's lawyer and his mother arrived at the Salekhard mortuary. It was closed, even though the (prisoner) colony had assured that it would be opened and Navalny's body was there. The lawyer called the phone number on the door. He was told that he was the seventh caller today and that Aleksei's body was not in the morgue,” explained Kira Yarmysh, spokeswoman for the dissident who died yesterday on the X.
11:48 a.m. – Navalny: 15 arrests in Moscow at memorial demonstration
Around fifteen people were arrested by Russian police today during a demonstration in Moscow in memory of opposition activist Alexei Navalny, independent Russian media outlet Sota reported. According to videos broadcast on the media's Telegram account, police officers with their faces covered stopped protesters who were laying flowers at a monument commemorating victims of Soviet political repression in the center of the Russian capital.
11:45 a.m. – Navalny: Protests in front of Russian embassies and honors around the world
The death of Russia's main political opponent, Alexei Navalny, has sparked protests and tributes around the world. Supporters of the political activist gathered outside Russian embassies and other locations in major cities including London, Paris, Geneva and New York, the BBC reports. In Berlin, the crowd chanted “Putin to The Hague,” referring to the International Criminal Court based in the Dutch city. Outside the Russian embassy in London, demonstrators held signs reading “Navalny is our hero.” More than 100 people gathered outside the UN headquarters in Geneva, showing portraits of Navalny and laying flowers.
– Flowers in front of the Russian Embassy in London (LaPresse)
11.42 a.m. – G7 Munich: Minute of silence for Navalny
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani just opened the G7 ministerial meeting in Munich by asking his colleagues for a minute's silence in honor of Alexei Navalny. “For his ideas and for his fight for freedom and against corruption in Russia, Navalny was actually led to his death.” Russia must investigate his death and stop the unacceptable suppression of political dissent.”
10:45 a.m. – Zelensky to Trump: “Come to Ukraine, come to the front, it’s not a war on Instagram”
“We are very open. We want to give Trump real information about the war. If Mr. Trump wants to come, I am also ready to travel with him to the front. We have to show the decision-makers on Instagram what real war means, not war.” This is how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy answered a question from an audience member at the Munich Security Conference who asked him about Donald Trump and the possibility of his re-election to the White House.
9:48 a.m. – Zelensky: “Joint reaction to Putin or risk of catastrophe”
“If we don't act now,” said Russian leader Vladimir, “Putin will manage to turn the next few years into a catastrophe.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in his speech at the Munich Security Conference and called on Kiev's allies greater support in the war against the Russian invasion. “We don't have to do anything, but everything possible,” said the Ukrainian president. The Ukrainian army's withdrawal from the city of Avdiivka was a “right decision” to “save as many lives as possible” as Ukrainian soldiers struggled to withstand the onslaught of Russian troops, he added. “It was a logical, correct and professional decision to save as many lives as possible.”
8:43 a.m. – Zelensky returns to Munich to ensure support for Kiev
As the Kremlin-led invasion enters its third year, Ukraine faces several challenges: Russian soldiers are on the offensive, U.S. military aid is still pending and Kiev's army is short of men, weapons and ammunition. Ukraine has been hoping for months for around $60 billion in aid decided by Joe Biden's government and is fighting for a second term in office, hampered by a Republican opposition influenced by Donald Trump's positions. Not granting this aid to the American Congress would be tantamount to a “gift to Putin,” warned Kamala Harris during her speech in Munich yesterday.
06.12 a.m. – Night alert about a rocket attack in the Kursk region
A warning of a missile attack in the Russian city of Kursk and surrounding areas was issued overnight. Tass reports it. “Residents were urged to stay away from windows and seek shelter in rooms with solid walls,” Kursk Region Governor Roman Starovoit wrote on Telegram.
5:47 a.m. – Antonov, the US reaction to Navalny is disrupting Russian politics
The US reaction after the death of Alexei Navalny was “another attempt by the American authorities to interfere in Russia’s domestic politics,” said Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov. “The death of a human being is always a tragedy,” said the Russian ambassador. “In this situation, it is extremely important to understand all the details of the event.” “However, American politicians do not want to wait and have already blamed the Russian authorities,” Antonov continued. “The question naturally arises here: Who is the judge? There is another attempt to interfere in the internal politics of the Russian Federation. And death is just an excuse. “Such a policy is unacceptable. It would be better if local leaders focused on the problems in their country that require urgent action,” Antonov noted. The Russian ambassador said: “Here we are looking for a reason for despicable attacks and, above all, for the introduction of additional sanctions.” The main task is to save the collapsing Pax Americana. US President Joe Biden said on Friday that Washington was considering “many options” following the prison death of Russian blogger Alexei Navalny. “We are looking at a whole range of options,” he said when asked whether the US could tighten sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s death. (AGI) Uba 170503 FEBRUARY 24
04:57 a.m. – The Ukrainian army withdrew from the city of Avdiivka
The Ukrainian army has withdrawn from the city of Avdiivka, an eastern city where the situation has deteriorated significantly in recent days, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, commander in chief of the region, announced. “According to the order received, we retreated from Avdiivka to the positions prepared in advance,” he wrote on Telegram. This is Russia's biggest symbolic victory since the failure of the Kiev counteroffensive last summer.
“Due to the operational situation around Avdiivka, I decided to withdraw our units from the city and move to defense on more favorable lines in order to avoid encirclement and protect the life and health of the military,” the general wrote on Telegram.
4:50 a.m. – CNN announces details of the mysterious Russian nuclear space weapon
A nuclear space weapon capable of destroying satellites and generating a massive wave of energy, potentially disabling a large number of commercial and government satellites on which the world depends. Sources close to the intelligence community gave CNN a more detailed look at Russia's work – and the threat it could pose – than the US government has already disclosed. Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, sparked excitement in Washington on Wednesday when he said he “possessed information about a serious threat to national security.” On Friday, President Joe Biden publicly confirmed that Turner was referring to a new Russian nuclear anti-satellite capability, but officials steadfastly refused to discuss it further, citing the top-secret nature of the intelligence. The weapon is still in development and is not yet in orbit, Biden administration officials publicly emphasized. But if used, they say, it would cross a dangerous Rubicon in the history of nuclear weapons and could be extremely disruptive to daily life in ways difficult to predict. This type of new weapon – commonly referred to by military space experts as a nuclear EMP – would produce a pulse of electromagnetic energy and a stream of highly charged particles that would destroy satellites orbiting Earth. Biden publicly emphasized on Friday that “with what Russia is doing right now, there is no nuclear threat to the American people or anywhere else in the world.” “Everything they do and/or will do concerns satellites and space and potentially harming these satellites,” he said. The Defense Department and intelligence community have been tracking Russia's efforts to develop a wide range of anti-satellite weapons, including an EMP, for years. And in recent months, there have been a number of intelligence reports specifically related to Russia's efforts to develop nuclear-powered anti-satellite capabilities, according to a defense official. But Russia has recently made progress in its efforts to develop a nuclear EMP, a related but much more worrisome technology. “Our general knowledge of Russia's pursuit of this type of capability goes back many, many months, if not a few years,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday. “But only in recent weeks have intelligence agencies been able to assess with greater confidence how Russia continues to pursue this goal.”