Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition activist and frequent challenger to Vladimir Putin, has died according to the Russian prison service. He reportedly fell ill after a walk in the year and “lost consciousness almost immediately.”

Navalny’s team however has denied the claims being made by the prison service, indicating they have no confirmation of his death.

Leonid Volkov, chief of staff for Navalny’s team, commented “We have no reason to believe state propaganda. If this is true, then not “Navalny died”, but “Putin killed Navalny” and only that. But I don’t trust them one penny.” His comment was made on Twitter.

Navalny was last seen alive yesterday, where he appeared in a court hearing.

Navalny has been in a Russian prison for the last three years, after having been detained at an airport following his return from medical treatment in Germany following a suspected poisoning. His arrest has widely been viewed as politically motivated, with Putin using the arrest to limit the threat of losing power. The country last year, in an effort to further reduce Navalny’s support, arrested six of his lawyers as well, claiming they were part of an extremist group.

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