The allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been preparing for his anticipated transfer to the worst prison grade in Russia, a “special regime” colony. (Image: Reuters)
Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition, has provided an update on his health and the conditions of his unjust detention. He says everything is “fine” following a 20-day transfer from his prison outside of Moscow to a penal colony outside of the Arctic Circle. The IK-6 penal colony, located 250 kilometers east of Moscow in the Vladimir region, has been housing Navalny, a critic of the Kremlin. In August, he was transferred to a more severe special regime prison and had his sentence increased to 19 years due to charges of extremism. On Saturday, Navalny arrived at the Arctic prison colony, and on Monday, his attorney paid him a visit. Referencing his winter attire and overall good mood, he wrote on X that he was relieved to have made it at last. facial hair. As it stands, the US State Department is “deeply concerned for Mr. Navalny’s wellbeing and the conditions of his unjust detention.”
Alexei Navalny, the leader of the Russian opposition and a well-known opponent of President Vladimir Putin at home, has been moved to the “Polar Wolf,” an Arctic prison colony. This is his first public appearance since associates lost contact with him three weeks ago. Navalny was being held in the Vladimir region of central Russia for 19 years due to an extremism conviction; however, his supporters assert that he has not been seen since December 6. They tracked him down to the Yamalo-Nenets region, some 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow, home to a notoriously harsh prison colony. Known for his caustic remarks, Navalny claimed he was in a good mood following his transfer to the new prison but that the northern winter darkness is depressing. Supporters of Navalny contend that the move was planned to keep Navalny
out of sight in the wake of Putin’s declaration that he would seek reelection in March. Since January 2021, he has been imprisoned in Russia. He returned to Moscow after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning, which he attributed to the Kremlin. Since then, he has been imprisoned three times and held in isolation for months in Penal Colony No. 6 due to alleged small-time offenses.