Alexei Navalny's Aides: He Has Disappeared in the Russian Prison System

Aides to Alexei Navalny say that the prominent political prisoner and critic of Vladimir Putin is no longer in the penal colony where he has been held since mid-last year, and his current location is unknown. Navalny, a 47-year-old critic of the Russian president and the most well-known opposition figure in the country, is serving an 11-year and six-month sentence and was sentenced to an additional 19 years in prison this summer. Navalny's aides told Reuters on Monday, December 20, that he may have been transferred from IK-6 prison to a 'special regime' facility, which employs the strictest methods in the Russian prison system. The transfer of prisoners from one facility to another by rail across Russia’s vast territory can take weeks, and relatives and families cannot obtain information about the prisoner’s location and conditions until they arrive at their destination. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokesperson, stated that staff at the IK-6 facility in Melekhovo, located 235 kilometers east of Moscow, told his lawyer waiting outside that the opposition leader was no longer in that prison. Navalny has disappeared just as the campaign period for the Russian presidential elections begins. Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday, December 8, that he would run for another six-year term. Leonid Volkov, Navalny's aide, wrote on X that his transfer at this time was not coincidental and was 'under direct political control from the Kremlin.' He said Putin knows who his main rival is in this so-called 'election' and wants to ensure that Navalny's voice is not heard. The Kremlin has not commented on Navalny's transfer. Putin and his spokesperson never mention Navalny by name and say he is treated like any other prisoner. Navalny has often been able to launch fierce attacks against the Kremlin through his lawyers on social media, detailing what has happened to him behind bars and condemning Putin for starting the war in Ukraine. However, since the arrest of three of his lawyers in October on suspicion of 'extremist' activities, his isolation has intensified. Navalny has repeatedly stated that many of the charges against him, ranging from fraud and contempt of court to 'extremist' activities, have all been fabricated to silence his attacks on Putin.