Aleksei Navalny found in Arctic prison, easing fears over his safety

Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny has been transferred to a prison north of the Arctic Circle but is “doing well,” his spokeswoman said on Monday, ending a 20-day mystery over his whereabouts that left many supporters fearing the worst .

“We have found Aleksei,” spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said. said on social media. “His lawyer saw him today.”

After an exhaustive, frantic search of Russia’s prison system following his disappearance on December 5, Mr Navalny’s exiled aides said on Monday they had located him in a penal colony in the Yamalo-Nenets region of Russia’s Arctic. Ivan Zhdanov, the head of Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, described the prison as one of Russia’s “northernest and most remote” prisons.

The penal colony, known as IK-3, in the Arctic settlement of Kharp, is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) northeast of the prison where Navalny has been held for much of the time since his arrest in early 2021.

“Aleksei’s situation is a clear example of how the system treats political prisoners and tries to isolate and oppress them,” Mr Zhdanov said. said on social media.