Kremlin denies involvement in Navalny's body transfer as investigation into oppositionist's death continues
Interfax agency announced that during a press meeting, Dmitry Peskov was asked about the timeline for completing all procedures related to the transfer of Alexei Navalny's body to his family.
"No, it's not something for us to address. We are not involved in this case. This is not a function of the president's administration", stated Peskov.
Furthermore, Putin's spokesperson expressed that "comments by Western leaders on Navalny's death will not negatively affect Russia, but they do cast those who are making the comments in a poor light".
When questioned about the investigation into Navalny's death, Peskov mentioned "that the investigation is ongoing, and all necessary actions in this regard are being fulfilled". He added that the findings of the investigation "are not yet public and remain practically unknown".
Navalny's close relatives are refused his body
On the morning of Monday, February 19, access to the morgue was denied to both the mother of Alexei Navalny and the lawyers. The woman was once more denied access to her son's remains.
"Early on, Alexei's mother and the lawyers arrived at the morgue. They were denied entry. One of the lawyers was quite literally shown the door. When asked if Alexei's body was inside, the staff remained unresponsive", informed Alexei Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh.
The independent Russian portal "Novaya Gazeta. Europa" has confirmed that Navalny's remains are in the morgue at a hospital in the city of Salekhard. The body was supposed to have been moved there on Friday evening.
On Saturday, February 17, Alexei Navalny's spokesperson declared on platform X that the prison administration had announced Navalny's body was held at the city morgue in Salekhard. His mother was otherwise notified that her son's body was not present there.
On Friday, February 16, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service announced that Navalny had abruptly died in Penal Colony No. 3 in Kharpa, situated past the Arctic Circle in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. According to Russian authorities, the oppositionist "fell ill after a walk and almost instantly lost consciousness". The penal services insist that the oppositionist died even after an ambulance was called and attempts were made to resuscitate him.
