Russian Intelligence Chief Says Navalny Died Of Natural Causes

Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) chief Sergei Naryshkin said on March 5 that opposition leader Aleksei Navalny died of natural causes, a statement that appeared to be an attempt to deflect international outrage over the death of President Vladimir Putin's fiercest foe. Naryshkin made the statement in an interview broadcast by Russian state television. He didn't name the cause of death. "Sooner or later, life ends and people die," he said. "Navalny died of natural causes." Many Western leaders said Putin was ultimately responsible for Navalny’s death on February 16 at a remote Arctic prison. The Kremlin rejects the accusation.