Photographs of Alexei Navalny’s Arctic cell published as wife says lab tests show poisoning

The first photographs purporting to show Alexei Navalny’s Arctic prison cell were published Wednesday as his widow said laboratory analysis of smuggled biological samples showed he was poisoned while incarcerated.

The images, shared by Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and published by news outlets, depict a small, sparsely furnished cell at the so‑called "Polar Wolf" special‑regime penal colony above the Arctic Circle. Navalnaya said in a video posted on social media that samples taken from her husband before burial were sent abroad and that laboratories in two countries "came to the conclusion that Alexei was killed. Specifically: poisoned." She did not disclose what material was tested nor the names of the laboratories or the toxic agents they identified and urged the labs to release detailed results independently.

The photographs show a small table, a mug, a notepad, a Bible and a dictionary, as well as a pair of mittens and a scarf. One picture appears to show a darkened area on the floor that Navalnaya and associates described as vomit. Russian journalist Maria Pevchikh, who has worked with Navalny’s organisation, wrote on social media that prison staff testified he had been convulsing on the floor and that guards ‘‘left him here, locked the bars and the door.’’

Russian authorities have not broadly confirmed the provenance of the photographs or the circumstances of Navalny’s final hours. The Federal Penitentiary Service said at the time of his death that Navalny, 47, felt unwell after a walk in the prison yard on Feb. 16, 2024, lost consciousness and that an ambulance arrived but medics were unable to save him. Officials delayed releasing his body to relatives for several days, a delay that heightened suspicions among his supporters.

Navalny, a longtime anti‑corruption campaigner and the most prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin in recent years, was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges that included extremism after returning to Russia in 2021. He survived an earlier poisoning with a Novichok‑type nerve agent in 2020 while campaigning in Siberia and was evacuated to Germany for treatment.

Navalnaya repeated allegations that the Kremlin was responsible for her husband’s death, saying in the posted video, "Vladimir Putin is guilty of the murder of my husband, Alexei Navalny." The Kremlin has denied responsibility for Navalny’s death. Russian authorities have pursued a broader crackdown on his allies and critics since his imprisonment and death, including adding Navalnaya to a list of "terrorists and extremists" and handing long prison terms to lawyers and journalists who worked with Navalny.

Independent verification of the new laboratory claims has not been publicly provided. Navalnaya told reporters that allies had managed to obtain and transfer biological samples out of Russia before Navalny was buried, but she declined to specify the nature of the samples. Analysts and human rights advocates said confirmation of poisoning would hinge on transparent forensic disclosure by accredited laboratories and independent investigators, neither of which has been produced in detail.

Navalny’s death and the release of the photographs come amid a sustained suppression of public dissent inside Russia since the government introduced measures following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine that restrict public criticism and increase controls on information and civil society. Many of Navalny’s closest associates and family members have moved abroad, and high‑profile domestic protests have largely subsided under the tougher security environment.

International response to Navalny’s death remains muted in public announcements, reflecting the sensitivity of diplomatic engagement with Moscow. Navalnaya and Navalny’s supporters have pressed Western governments and international organizations to demand transparent, independent investigations into the circumstances of his death and to press for access to forensic evidence.

The photographs and the renewed poisoning allegations are likely to intensify scrutiny from human rights groups and Western governments, which have in the past cited the 2020 Novichok attack and other cases as evidence of an operational pattern. Russian officials have repeatedly rejected accusations of state involvement in the 2020 poisoning and have not opened an independent inquiry that is publicly verifiable by international observers into Navalny’s death.

For now, crucial questions remain unresolved: whether the images reflect the exact conditions inside Navalny’s cell at the time of his death, what the chain of custody was for the biological samples Navalnaya referenced, and what specific substances, if any, the unnamed laboratories detected. Navalnaya and her advisers have called on the laboratories to publish their findings and on international bodies to press for an independent, transparent inquiry.

Navalny’s death removed a central figure of organized Russian opposition. His supporters say greater transparency would help address lingering doubts about how he died and whether prison authorities or others involved in his detention adequately responded when he fell ill. Russian officials have said only that they found no criminal evidence to suggest foul play in the circumstances they have disclosed.

The new claims and the photographs add to an unresolved chapter in a case that has already shaped international perceptions of political repression in Russia and raised questions about the treatment of high‑profile prisoners in the country’s penal system.