Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not give a direct order for the murder of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prison colony in February, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on April 27, citing sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments.
The finding does not indicate that Putin is not guilty of Navalny's death, only that he did not order it at that moment, the WSJ noted.
Navalny, Russia's leading opposition figure, died on Feb. 16 in a Russian penal colony behind the Artic Circle.
The news was followed by a new wave of Western sanctions and speculations about whether Navalny's death was a result of harsh prison conditions or an intentional murder.
The conclusion that the Kremlin did not directly order Navalny's death is accepted within the U.S. intelligence community and shared by several agencies, including the CIA, the State Department's intelligence unit, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the WSJ reported.
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The assessment was reportedly based on classified intelligence and certain circumstances, such as that Navalny's death supposedly overshadowed Putin's re-election in March.
Although European intelligence agencies have been told about this position, some countries remain skeptical that Putin was not directly involved in Navalny's death, according to the outlet.
"In a system as tightly controlled as Putin's Russia, it is doubtful that harm could have come to Navalny without the president’s prior awareness," European officials reportedly said.
Leonid Volkov, Navalny's close associate, told the WSJ that the U.S. intelligence community's assessment is naive, saying: "The idea of Putin being not informed and not approving killing Navalny is ridiculous."
Navalny's death was followed by a further crackdown by the Russian regime, as even those who came to lay flowers to honor the opposition leader were detained, and some were reportedly called up for military service.
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