Western leaders say Putin bears responsibility for Navalny’s death. (document)
The Kremlin said on Monday that an investigation into the death of Alexei Navalny was ongoing and condemned “vulgar comments” about its responsibility for his death.
Russian authorities have so far refused to hand over the opposition leader’s body to his relatives, angering his followers who accuse the Kremlin of being a “killer” trying to “cover their tracks”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that the investigation was “ongoing” and “all necessary actions are being taken.”
“The results of the investigation have not yet been announced and are unknown,” he said on Monday.
Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have said Putin bears responsibility for Navalny’s death.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to make such blatantly vulgar remarks under these circumstances and without any information,” Peskov said on Monday, without specifying which remarks he was referring to.
Navalny, Putin’s most vocal critic, died on Friday at the age of 47 in an Arctic prison colony. He is being held on charges widely seen as punishment for campaigning against Putin.
Peskov said on Monday that he could not say when Navalny’s body would be released to his family because it was not a matter for the presidential office.
Navalny’s team immediately responded to the comments, reiterating accusations that the Kremlin was trying to “hide crimes” in a post on Telegram.
“Nothing is sacred to these scum,” they added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
