side of vladimir after one in the side of vladimir putin, but perhaps they don't know enough about why. he was the leader of an anti—corruption movement in russia, someone who has a lot of support in the country as well as critics. can you tell our viewers about how significant he was and why he was such a problem to vladimir putin? ., ., ., , ., _ putin? you have to start by saying that russian _ putin? you have to start by saying that russian media _ putin? you have to start by saying that russian media space - putin? you have to start by saying that russian media space and - putin? you have to start by saying that russian media space and the| putin? you have to start by saying - that russian media space and the way that russian media space and the way that russian media space and the way that russian politics operates has been very restrictive for years, so for mr navalny it has all always been an uphill struggle to gain support within russia. he was denied access to the media. it was difficult for him to campaign and rally. despite all that, the investigative videos he reported on

line received millions of views and he and his team, known as the anti—corruption foundation, anti—corru ption foundation, investigated official corruption anti—corruption foundation, investigated official corruption by president putin himself and his key officials, and even though vladimir putin and his spokesperson repeatedly denied that there was any reason to pay any attention to mr navalny, clearly they did and even the way they referred to him, without mentioning his name, suggest that they were concerned to say the least. when mr navalny was poisoned in august 2020, of course finger started pointing at the russian security service and later laboratories in the west confirmed that he was poisoned with military grade another choc agent. that is

why so many people are saying that mr navalny has, for years, been the target of the kremlin�*s pressure. there were many publicised attempts, he set himself that the fsb had tried to kill him on a number of occasions. of course it is unclear at the moment what the cause of this reported that there is. we are getting more information coming into a severe. as i was saying earlier, alexei navalny�*s press secretary said that she has no confirmation of his death. she said his lawyer is now flying to the prison. as soon as we have information we will reported. as another spokesperson

has said that they have no way to confirm that this is arisen true, another spokesperson for mr navalny said that. they said that in penal colony number three alexei navalny felt unwell after a walk and almost immediately lost consciousness. the medical staff of the institution arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called. the emergency doctors declared the prisoner dead and the cause of death is being established. the tally, you have alexei navalny�*s eight of killing mr navalny. you have the prison service in russia saying that he felt unwell after a walk. in russia saying that he felt unwell after a walk-— after a walk. that is right. and it will be some _ after a walk. that is right. and it will be some time _ after a walk. that is right. and it will be some time before - after a walk. that is right. and it will be some time before we - after a walk. that is right. and it i will be some time before we know exactly what happened in that remote prison. tragic to this news is, it is not exactly surprising, given the

intensity of pressure on the domestic position within russia. it is not the first time at key opposition figure has died in russia in recent history. in 2015, and outspoken critic against vladimir putin was shot dead outside the kremlin. that was perhaps the first time since the invasion, the initial invasion of ukraine, that gave russia watchers an idea of how dangerous it is to challenge vladimir putin in real and effective terms. russia is holding a presidential election in march. it is pretty clear at this stage she is going to win it and what may have happened to alexei navalnyjust

illustrates what happens to vladimir putin's critics in russia. [30 illustrates what happens to vladimir putin's critics in russia.— putin's critics in russia. do stay with us. putin's critics in russia. do stay with us- we _ putin's critics in russia. do stay with us. we will _ putin's critics in russia. do stay with us. we will be _ putin's critics in russia. do stay with us. we will be back- putin's critics in russia. do stay with us. we will be back with i putin's critics in russia. do stay. with us. we will be back with you putin's critics in russia. do stay - with us. we will be back with you on a short moment. if you are just joining us, just to remind you that we have heard from russia's prison service that says that the prominent critic of the kremlin, alexei navalny, has died in prison. the prison authorities in russia said that he felt unwell after a walk. a key aide for mr navalny who was a prominent leader of russia's anti—corruption movement in russia, has accused the authorities of killing alexei navalny in prison. i'm joined now by luke harding from the guardian newspaper. am i correct in thinking that you have met mr navalny on the number of occasions? you have certainly reported on how many times through the years. yes.

you have certainly reported on how many times through the years. yes, i met him in — many times through the years. yes, i met him in moscow _ many times through the years. yes, i met him in moscow more _ many times through the years. yes, i met him in moscow more than - many times through the years. yes, i met him in moscow more than a - many times through the years. 133 i met him in moscow more than a decade ago when he was an up—and—coming lawyer, a tall, charismatic figure who was destined for stardom. he was leading street protests against vladimir putin's regime and he was also focusing on corruption. we have had the war in ukraine for the last few years and the emphasis has been an international aggression, but it was alexei navalny who shone light on murky places, alleging huge corruption at the top of the kremlin, including vladimir putin himself. most people who know him will conclude he has been murdered in prison. it is certainly the feeling of his eight fair. you wrote once, you asked the question if

alexei navalny�*s was russia's destiny or a tragic footnote. in the end he is now, as is widely reported, he is no longer the face of that anti—corruption movement. was this always inevitable given that he was such a prominent critic of the kremlin? ifear it probably of the kremlin? i fear it probably was. bear in mind that the kremlin already tried to kill alexei navalny, that he collapsed when he was campaigning in southern russia. you remember the scenes of him being reeled off a plane and then flown to germany were miraculously recovered. this was a plot according to ballon caps carried out by the fsb, that vladimir putin just ahead before carried out by the fsb, that vladimir putinjust ahead before he became president and prime minister. it is clear he had powerful enemies and the state to try to kill them

before. it was interesting was there was a terrible personal choice for mr navalny after he was poisoned whether he would stay in exile and become a critic based in europe or based in the us or return. he flew back to moscow, was immediately arrested, thenjailed back to moscow, was immediately arrested, then jailed with criminal cases piled upon him one on top of the other. if from that point it was clear that he would never get out of prison as long as vladimir putin was the leader of russia. what was terrible about his death is that it seems to come at a moment of weakness for the west, for america in particular, where there are rows between the biden administration and congressional republicans over aid to ukraine and there seems to be a kind of paralysis and at this moment for whatever reason mr navalny has

collapsed and died. the for whatever reason mr navalny has collapsed and died.— collapsed and died. the tally touched on _ collapsed and died. the tally touched on this _ collapsed and died. the tally touched on this earlier. - collapsed and died. the tally| touched on this earlier. what collapsed and died. the tally - touched on this earlier. what do you make of the timing of his death? this make of the timing of his death? as i make of the timing of his death? is i was saying, russia is pressing forward on the battlefield in ukraine. it thinks it can win the war. it seems to struggle notjust as a battle for ukraine but a broader conflict with western nations, with western democracies, with the whole liberal system and it is clear that mr navalny has long been an irritant to vladimir putin. he has annoyed the authorities with his reporting and you have to say he has been silenced for good. the problem is that the russian opposition faces is that mr navalny was the figurehead, an inspirational leaderfor many of was the figurehead, an inspirational leader for many of them and russia has become at totalitarian society,

where anyone can be arrested for no reason whatsoever, just because the authorities want to detain them. for the russian opposition things are now very bleak. mr navalny has gone, there is no prospect of democratic russia, the kremlin is all—powerful and these are grim times indeed. fin and these are grim times indeed. on one of the occasions where he was arrested, there were protests in something like 180 towns and cities across russia. he did have support for this anti—corruption movement and i suppose the question is where is that goal left in the year when russia is meant to have some sort of election? he russia is meant to have some sort of election? ., ., russia is meant to have some sort of election? . ., ., ., election? he did have a lot of sunport- _ election? he did have a lot of sunport- what _ election? he did have a lot of support. what was _ election? he did have a lot of| support. what was remarkable election? he did have a lot of- support. what was remarkable about the support was that it took place in an environment where it was impossible for him to appear on

state television. his supporters were constantly being harassed, sometimes arrested and imprisoned. some of them are injail as we speak. my sense is that what the kremlin is doing here, if we posit the fact that this, almost certainly, the death of mr navalny could only happen with the say—so of vladimir putin, it is almost like tidying up ahead of the presidential elections next month, and we need to say that inadvertent comments because it is not a real election. there is not much opposition on the streets any more because the embarrassment has changed and there are even more aggressive laws. i don't expect to see the kind of demonstrations in support of the balcony that we saw previously because people are terrified of the

consequences and a larger number of younger disgruntled, educated russians have already left. as i was saying, russia has really become, when i was there a decade ago it was authoritarian, i would say now it is pretty close to totalitarian. a full—blown dictatorial regime where protesting is very dangerous. i think mr navalny was really the bravest activists of his generation and he has paid a terrible price for their bravery. we and he has paid a terrible price for their bravery-— their bravery. we 'ust had some reaction from — their bravery. we just had some reaction from france _ their bravery. we just had some reaction from france that - their bravery. we just had some reaction from france that said i their bravery. we just had some l reaction from france that said mr navalny pay for his life for resisting russia's aggression. where do you think this news will leave the geopolitical relationship with russia. since the war in ukraine it began that has changed the

relationship with russia, we have just heard that statement from france. it just heard that statement from france. , ., france. it will further embolden the russian regime, _ france. it will further embolden the russian regime, which _ france. it will further embolden the russian regime, which has - france. it will further embolden the russian regime, which has acted i france. it will further embolden the i russian regime, which has acted with impunity. bear in mind this is not the first critic of vladimir putin to die and murky circumstances. we had the murder of alexander levy can go back in 2006 with the radioactive cup of tea and a central london hotel. subsequently quite an important and wide—ranging public inquiry into thousand 16 chaired by a formerjudge who concluded that vladimir putin had personally probably approved his murder. then we had the script file case a couple of years ago with two more russian assassins who tried to poison a former russian defector living in salisbury. there is definitely a pattern here. one can't peer inside

the head of vladimir putin, but there is a general sense in the kremlin that things are going their way and after the initial failure of russian tanks and troops to seize the ukrainian capital, they are slowly but surely winning the war in the ukraine and exploiting the divisions in western society, particularly in america, between democrats and republicans, yes that they know that european governments, other democracies will be outraged at the death of alexei navalny, but i think they feel they can weather thatis, i think they feel they can weather that is, they don't much care about criticism and they are prevailing in what they see as a kind of titanic, e paco struggle against the west and the current american dominated geopolitical order.

we arejust reminding our we are just reminding our viewers of this developing story that is just coming to earth from russia in the last hour. russia's prison authorities have announced that the leading kremlin critic alexei navalny has died. a statement online said that mr navalny felt poorly after a walk and lost consciousness soon afterwards and that statement added that doctors had arrived straightaway but all attempts at resuscitation had failed. mr navalny was seen as vladimir putin's most vociferous critic. he had been serving a 19 yearjail term for offences widely considered to be politically motivated. he was a staunch critic of the kremlin, he led russia's anti—corruption led russia's anti—corru ption movement. led russia's anti—corruption movement. 0ne led russia's anti—corruption movement. one of mr navalny�*s senior aides has accused the russian government of killing him. mr

navalny had survived, he had said in the past,