Russian opposition leader Navalny dies in prison

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has died, Russian media report, citing the prison service.

Navalny, 47, one of Putin’s most visible and persistent critics, was being held in a jail about 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle where he had been sentenced to 19 years under a “special regime”. In a video from the prison in January, he had appeared gaunt with his head shaved.

Navalny “felt unwell after a walk” and “almost immediately” lost consciousness, the prison service said Friday. It said it was investigating his “sudden death.”

The Kremlin said it had no information on the cause of death.