Putin likely didn’t order Navalny’s death, says US intelligence official: report

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not order the killing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a senior US intelligence official. told the Wall Street Journal on sunday.

Navalny died in a Russian prison in February, and foreign leaders quickly pinned the blame on Putin for what appeared to be a political assassination. The official told the Journal that Putin remains ultimately responsible for Navalny’s death, but was likely unaware of its timing or nature, or more likely ordered it directly.

This view is reportedly commonly held among U.S. intelligence agencies, which say investigations have found no “conclusive evidence” of Putin’s involvement.

After Navalny’s death, President Biden harshly criticized Putin and held him responsible, but denied that he had directly ordered the killing and said details were unclear.

“If the reports of his death are true, there is no reason to believe otherwise. The Russian authorities will tell their own story,” Biden said in remarks from the White House at the time.

“But make no mistake: President Putin is responsible for Mr. Navalny’s death. President Putin is responsible. What happened to Mr. Navalny is further proof of Mr. Putin’s brutality. Who? Don’t be fooled,” he continued.

Russian officials have strongly denied any involvement in Navalny’s death, saying only that he died of natural causes.

Just weeks after Navalny’s death, Putin won a fifth term in a national election.