Shock, outrage after one of Vladimir Putin's sharpest critics. Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was reported dead in a Russian prison, reportedly dying after taking a walk, a fatal walk. US officials are still waiting to confirm the Russian state media claim. Navalny's wife had this to say just a short time ago in front of dozens of heads of state If it is the truth, I would like Putin and all his staff every body around him, his government, his friends. I want them know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with my husband, that they will be brought to justice and that this day will come soon. What strength to stand there in Munich. With us now, CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward. And Matthew Chance, chief global affairs correspondent. Clarissa, you could see the anger and also the resolve from Alexis Aleksey Navalny's wife there. It was a very emotional moment. And she actually started out, John, by saying, you know, I thought for a moment, do I go home to my family? Right now or do I stand here and address you? And then I ask myself, what would Alexei do? What would Alexei want me to do? And I have no doubt that he would want me to stand here to address you and to issue that withering rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Of course, at this stage, we don't know exactly what killed Alexei Navalny. We have only been told through Russian media that he took a walk at the penal colony where he was suffering terrible treatment, where he had at times been in less than good health. And yet when we saw him yesterday, via teleconference from a courtroom, he appeared healthy. He appeared jovial. We've also heard a report from his mother who told Novaya Gazeta the Russian publication that she wouldn't be accepting condolences because she couldn't believe it, because she had seen Alexei Navalny on February 14 that he had appeared to be in good health and good humor. And so there are real questions about exactly what happened to him. But you heard also at the Munich Security Conference the vice president, Kamala Harris, saying whatever happened, Russia is responsible. He was in the custody of the Russian state. And so the question really now becomes, what does this mean for Russia's opposition, which has already been so brutally stomped out? Does this mean could we see potentially more protests or a resurgence of the sort of protest movements that Alexei Navalny had previously? Galvanized in Russia, or is this it? Is this the end? Is this message that there is absolutely no opposition of any shape or form to be tolerated inside Putin's Russia, John? Yeah. And to that point, you heard from Alexei Navalny, his wife, saying that Vladimir Putin, Russia will be punished. I suppose Matthew Chance, the question is, you know, will they will Russians blame someone for this I mean, look, we don't know the answer to that yet. But but but look, I can tell you that many Russians that I've spoken to and or express their views in the media are expressing their shock that this has happened, that Alexei Navalny, who is undoubtedly the most high profile opposition figure in the country, has died whilst in the custody of the Russian prison authorities. Now, whether that will have an impact in the way that Alexei Navalny has had an impact in the past, he's been able to bring out tens of thousands of people onto the streets in towns and cities across the country when he's called for them in the past. But we're in a different environment now. And there's been this chill descend over the Russian opposition. And this is yet another very potent message to opponents of the Kremlin about the terrible consequences that can be for you if you stand up to Vladimir Putin and and his and his regime. Because, remember, no matter how shocking this death of Alexei Navalny is, it's not altogether surprising. I mean, Alexei Navalny was himself poisoned and narrowly escaped death. You know, a couple of years ago. He chose to come back to place himself at the center of Russian politics, having, you know, narrowly escaped death himself. And then, of course, there's a long list of opponents of Putin, opponents of the Kremlin and its critics who have met, you know, tragic ends. I mean, just last year, although perhaps I wouldn't describe it as a tragedy, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was a supporter of Putin, turned somebody who staged a military uprising against Putin's authority. Well,
he was killed in a plane crash under suspicious circumstances before that in. The list goes on. But in 2015 you know, I went to the funeral and covered the assassin assassination of Boris Nemtsov who was the sort of Alexei Navalny of his time, if you like. He was the most vocal critic the most prominent opposition figure against the Kremlin. He was gunned down outside the walls of the Kremlin. And and the list goes on. And so again, this is this is shocking, but it does fit into a pattern of critics of the Kremlin who meet sticky ends for Vladimir Putin. A lot of people end up dead a lot of people have fallen out of windows literally or pushed. Who knows? Defend his creation is an interesting word in Russia. Clarissa, where can you speak to the years of courage that Alexei Navalny showed? It's something that you saw firsthand Well, the decision, John, to go back to Russia when I interviewed him shortly after he was recuperating from being poisoned with Novichok, And I said, why would you go back? You know, the risks. You know that they tried to kill you. But he was very sanguine about the risks. He was very determined to see and fulfill his mission, which he believed was to serve the Russian people. He understood implicitly that he could not do that in exile. He knew the risks. And yet he decided to go ahead and do what he felt was necessary and important to do. And I think that any criticism that one could possibly level at Alexei Navalny, certainly cowardice is not one of them. This is a man who is one of the most or was one of the most extraordinarily courageous individuals, certainly that I have ever interviewed, John. He walked into the fire. Clarissa Ward, Matthew Chance. Thank you both so much for being with us. I know we'll going to talk to you again very soon. In 20, 21, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would face devastating consequences if Alexei Navalny were to die in prison. Here are Mr. Biden's remarks to the media about that conversation. What do
you say would happen if opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies? I made it clear to him that I believe the the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia. Well, let's
get to all eight signs at the White House. What has been the response at this point? Well, Becky, White House officials administration officials have been stressing they are still working on actual confirmation of these reports that Alexei Navalny died while in prison in Russia. But they have expressed their belief that this is a terrible tragedy. We've also heard directly from Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who both said even as they're waiting confirmation for these reports, that they believe Russia is responsible. We also know Blinken met privately with the wife of Alexei Navalny, Yulia, to express his condolence as if these reports actually do pan out to be true. But it does come, as you heard from President Biden there, that he has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin directly that the consequences of Navalny dying in prison would be devastating for Russia. Now, this was before Russia invaded Ukraine, before the crippling sanctions that had been issued against the country in the wake of that invasion. So there's a big question about what the consequences would look like now. That is something National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted at a bit earlier today in his own remarks about this, saying that they will be working with countries once they've confirmed that this is true, to figure out what those next steps will be. But this is something Biden has really been pressing Putin on since the beginning of his administration. In his very first phone call with Putin, Biden raised the need for Putin to immediate release Navalny. That is something that administration officials consistently have been pushing for in recent years. Now, right now, just a short while ago, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks in Munich where she talked about how this is a further sign of Putin's brutality in Russia. But Harris is media meetings and conversations that are ongoing in Munich are now really taking taking on a heightened significance. Harris had been traveling there to in one part to talk about the U.S. role in the world, but also U.S. commitment to Nieto allies out of Trump at a time when back here at home, former President Donald Trump recently suggested that he would encourage Putin to do whatever he wants to countries who have not met their naito obligations. The vice president made a very veiled reference to that in her remarks a bit earlier, saying, imagine if we went easy on Putin, let alone encouraged him. So this death, the reported death of Navalny, certainly will raise the stakes of her conversations she is having there overseas. We are still waiting to hear from President Biden to certainly anticipate there will be at least at the very least, a paper statement from him. He's also expected to travel a bit later today. So we will see what exactly the president has to say. But this is very concerning to the White House. And the next question is going forward is what the White House, what the US and its allies might do to respond to this report of death of Devonte while in prison.
