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Navalny had Appeared in Court via Video Link on Thursday; NATO Chief: Russia has "Service to Answer"; Navalny Felt Unwell after a Walk, Lost Consciousness; Navalny's Wife: Putin Should Know he will be Punished for what he's done; Conditions Deteriorate as Israeli Raid Gaza Hospital; Russian Prison Service: Alexei Navalny Does in Prison at age 47. Aired 9- 10a ET
Aired February 16, 2024 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: We begin our show this hour with Breaking News. Russia's imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny
has died age 47. That is according to Russia's prison service. New information just in from Russian state media and ambulance crew tried to
resuscitate Navalny for more than half an hour is what is being reported.
He was serving time in a remote penal colony, of course, near the Arctic Circle infamous for its harsh conditions. Russia's Prison Service says it
is investigating quote, the sudden death. But we know of course, Navalny had previously been targeted in a high profile assassination attempt in
2020.
Let's bring in Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, Matthew Chance. And Matthew, I also want to bring in our Chief International Correspondent,
Clarissa Ward. Let start with you, Matt, what do we know about the circumstances of Navalny's death if that is what this is, at this point?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, it seems to be although it hasn't been officially confirmed yet --
Navalny's family -- one told that the there's expected to be a statement from Yulia Navalnaya, Alexei Navalny's wife very shortly.
And so that will probably be the confirmation that we're looking for. We know that Alexei Navalny has been held, you know, in a very distant, very
tough regime penal colony, a long way from the Russian capital right up in the near the Arctic Circle area of Russia.
Conditions there is very harsh, but he's appeared in the several occasions, he's appeared on video in court, appearing for court in relatively good
spirits. It was just yesterday that he last appeared on a video conference call to a Russian court and he seemed in pretty fine fettle.
That didn't seem to be any indication of the problems. He's now obviously according to that prison authority, he's dead. According to media reports,
Russian state media reports about the circumstances they're saying the ambulance crews, when they were called to the prison, tried to revive him
for an hour, but were unsuccessful.
The Kremlin has says that it's as a forensic investigation underway to try and establish what it was exactly that killed Alexei Navalny in this prison
colony. But as we heard the U.S. Vice President says earlier at the Munich Security Forum, the fact that he died in Russian custody is a reminder of
just how brutal, just how ruthless the Kremlin has become.
Particularly when it comes to Alexei Navalny, someone who really touched a nerve in Russia, with his campaigning against official corruption in the
country, he was able to bring tens of thousands of people, hundreds of thousands, in fact, across the country out at protests over the course of
several years.
And of course for that he was poisoned and then when he returned to Russia, he was arrested and put in prison. And now it seems that he has paid the
ultimate sacrifice. And so what the response will be on the ground in Russia is unclear. The Russians I've spoken to so far today have expressed
shock that Alexei Navalny, who is a very well-known figure, inside Russia.
He is the face of the Russian opposition has died in this prison colony. It's not clear yet whether this will spark wide scale protests, or whether
it will just be a chilling message to the people of Russia, that this kind of dissent will not be tolerated in the Russia today.
ANDERSON: Clarissa, let me bring you in as we show our viewers new video in -- Alexei Navalny in a Russian court, just yesterday, you'll have seen
these images. Your response to what we are hearing today Russian prison services, announcing that Alexei Navalny has died in prison aged 47.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's profoundly shocking, Becky and I say it's profoundly shocking. But it also
confirms the worst fears that many people had. I think there is still some disbelief, though, what possible need would they have to if they did
directly kill Alexei Navalny to do that in a moment where he really no longer posed any kind of direct threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin?
[09:05:00]
He was languishing in this penal colony. He was in very poor health. Although, as you heard from Matthew, he appeared to be stronger and even
sort of almost jovial at points in his most recent court appearance and his mother indeed, when she was contacted by the Russian publication, Novaya
Gazeta about his death said, I refuse to accept condolences.
I saw him on February 14, and he was bubbly and he seemed to be in good health. So you have this sort of strange dichotomy between on the one hand,
this sinking realization of the worst that everyone predicted and feared has actually happened. And on the other hand, oh, my goodness, how on earth
could this happen?
And why would it happen right now? Obviously, the timing of this is curious in the sense that there is a Russian election next month. But let's be very
clear, everybody already knows who's going to win that election. And there's not any confusion about that. So I think the question now becomes,
why did this happen?
And what, will the impact be going forward? You heard Matthew saying that it's not clear yet if there will be larger protests. And I think that's
very true, partially because it has become almost impossible now to express opposition, let alone to demonstrate on the streets. The other thing that
I'm very mindful of in this moment is the fate of another outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin.
And that is Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has also been poisoned twice, who is also languishing in a Russian prison, and there will now be a real sense of
urgency, particularly in the international community to try to do something to gain his release. I don't anticipate that we will ever hear any kind of
satisfying answer from the Kremlin with regards to what specifically killed Alexei Navalny today.
But as you said, the Vice President Kamala Harris, making it clear that many will view the Russian state as being responsible. And nobody, I think,
would believe that if Alexei Navalny had not been taken to such a penal colony, and had not been treated with such brutality and had not spoken
time and time again, about the depraved conditions in which he was held in that he would indeed have died at just the age of 47 years old, Becky.
ANDERSON: Clarissa, he made global headlines when he was poisoned by a nerve agent back in 2020. You interviewed Alexei Navalny in December of
that year, and I just want our viewers to hear some of that interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXEI NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I understand how system works in Russia, I understand that Putin hates me and I understand that these people
who are sitting in the Kremlin they're ready to kill.
WARD: Is it your contention that Vladimir Putin must have been aware of this?
NAVALNY: Of course, 100 percent it could have not been happened without direct order of Putin, because it's, big scale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Take us back to that meeting. What else did he tell you?
WARD: I think the thing that stuck out to me the most during that interview was the fact that he was so defiant and convinced in his decision to return
to Russia. Keep in mind, Becky, and perhaps our viewers might not remember this. It really was a fluke that Alexei Navalny survived that poisoning.
It was down to the decision of a pilot to divert the plane that he was on and landed in the City of Omsk, some three hours earlier than it was
supposed to be landing in Moscow. Then he was able to get the life-saving care that he needed. He was transferred to Germany, he was in a coma, he
went through months of rehabilitation and he was with his family.
Alexei Navalny didn't have to go back to Russia. But when I asked him, why would you do that? Why would you take that risk? Why would you put your
life on the line once again? He was very clear minded about it. He said I would never give Putin such a gift as to remain on the sidelines, as to
remain in exile.
He understood implicitly, that to be a Russian dissident and to be a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin was basically useless if you were going to do it
from the safety and comfort of the West, that the only place where you could really push the envelope really pushes the buttons of the Kremlin.
And really ultimately in his view, serve the people of Russia, which is what he wanted to do was by being on the ground in Russia by showing and
lying bare, the corruption in Russia, and also the incompetence in Russia.
[09:10:00]
The accusations that the Kremlin has faced for many years, particularly in the ways in the west of human rights abuses and being a liberal, those
sorts of accusations do not resonate in the same way with Russian people as they might with a western audience.
But Alexei Navalny understood profoundly that what did resonate and does still today I should add with Russians is rampant corruption, gross
incompetence, and he had garnered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube of these --
ANDERSON: -- Clarissa, apologies Yulia Navalny is speaking in Munich now. Let's just listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YULIA NAVALNAYA, WIFE OF ALEXEI NAVALNY: (Foreign Language)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, for the benefit of our viewers who don't speak either Russian or German, we are trying to get the English translation for you --
will be completely transparent about this. Let me bring back both Clarissa and Matthew while we try and sort that out. And we'll go back to Yulia as
soon as that happens.
Let you were just apologies for breaking in, I know you'll understand Clarissa why we did that. And I want you to finish your thoughts but also
just reminding our viewers. This is a Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August, on top of what
was already an 11.5 year sentence, Russian prison service today announcing that he has died in prison. The floor is yours Clarissa, please just didn't
finish --
WARD: Yeah, I want to say just on Yulia Navalnaya because of the German translation, I could only hear a little bit about the Russian but she
talked about -- horrifying news that we had received today. And I think it's interesting as well that we're seeing Yulia Navalnaya actually speak
out about this on camera.
She has since Alexei Navalny had returned to Russia since he had been taken into custody she has been very circumspect about speaking out publicly on
camera. She doesn't give interviews, because she is aware of the fact that she has two children.
ANDERSON: OK.
WARD: She wants to be a mother to them. And so we haven't heard her. Have you got the translation? Now the full translation I could only hear the
German.
ANDERSON: Yeah, we have. We have and I didn't want to jump in. But let's get back to her. Thank you, Clarissa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAVALNAYA: Thank you so much for having me here. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak in this room. And you all heard about her -- news.
I thought about it quite a while, I thought, should I stand here before you or should I go back to my children?
And then I thought, what who would have -- done in my place? And I'm sure that he would have been standing here on this stage. I don't know. Should
we believe the terrible news we get? The news, we get only from the official media, because for many years and you know all this, we have been
in this situation.
We cannot believe Putin and his government. They are lying constantly. But if it is the truth, I would like Putin and all his staff, everybody around
him, his government, his friends, I want them to know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with
my husband.
[09:15:00]
They will be brought to justice. And this day will come soon. And I would like to call upon all the international community, all the people in the
world, we should come together, and we should fight against this evil. We should fight this horrific regime in Russia today. This regime and Vladimir
Putin should be personally held responsible for all the atrocities they have committed in our country, the last years. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: To Correspondents. Yulia Navalny. I have Matthew Chance and Clarissa Ward with me. I want to get you both to respond to what we've just
heard, Clarissa?
WARD: Well, you heard her sort of grappling with the idea of is this actually true? Can this be happening? We're only hearing it from state
media. And so therefore we should be very skeptical because we know that they lie. But if it is true, she said then you know, they will be punished,
referring to President Putin, and they should be punished for what they have done, we should fight together.
They should be held responsible, basically a -- she went on to call Putin and his regime evil for what they have done not just to her family, but to
their country, to the country of Russia. And as I had mentioned before, it's unusual to hear Yulia Navalnaya speak out publicly or certainly it has
been in the last couple of years, in such strong terms as these but this is clearly a pivotal moment.
This is a moment that I think many people even who were very cynical and very much aware of the capabilities of the Kremlin, we're still sort of
taken aback by because why on earth now, what threat does Alexei Navalny pose and again, I think we have to underscore the fact that we don't know
exactly what happened, we don't know exactly what killed him.
But in the eyes of Yulia Navalny and Navalny's supporters and much of the international community, the bottom line is that the Russian state is
responsible, he was being held in a Russian penal colony when he was killed. And so you heard there quite an emotional, she kept it together,
she didn't totally collapse.
She said what would Alexei want me to do? Should I go home to be with my family? Or should I speak to you and she said I know that Alexei would want
me to stand before you today and to say these words, Becky.
ANDERSON: Matthew, I'm going to get your response. I just want our viewers to know that the images that we are running or images that we've just got
into CNN. And these are images of Alexei Navalny in a prison, sorry in a Russian court just yesterday, Matthew, your thoughts?
CHANCE: Yeah, you can see, in that video, Becky, that he looks pretty good. He looks like he's laughing and joking around he looks like he's in good
spirits. And that, of course, makes it all the more shocking, that if this news is true, that he's now dead, then, you know, what sort of
catastrophic, you know, kind of incident took place that led to that?
We may never really know what the truth is. But look, I mean, what struck me about Yulia Navalnaya's brief remarks there were the fact that she
doesn't even know at this point, whether her husband is dead or alive. The agony than Navalny family must be going through right now is unimaginable.
And so it makes it all the more incredible, that she was able to stand up there in front of this huge audience, you know, on television, and at that
security conference, where she is right now, and keep it together, as Clarissa said, and to make those remarks. Whether or not Putin will be
punished for this is, I mean, frankly, to say the least unclear, I mean, this death of Alexei Navalny comes just weeks before a presidential
election in Russia, where it's expected.
And it's certain, virtually, that Putin will be reappointed to a fifth term in the presidency. It's not clear whether this death is going to provoke
the kinds of mass protests that Alexei Navalny has managed to get onto the streets of towns and cities across Russia in the past.
[09:20:00]
It could well do because Alexei Navalny is such a sort of rallying figure for many people in Russia, his campaign against corruption, as I've said
before, you know, really did sort of touch a nerve in the country. And the fact that he has now died in the custody of the Russian authorities may
well be enough, despite the dangers to get people to protest, but we'll just have to see and watch carefully what happens inside Russia now.
WARD: Tell me what you --
ANDERSON: Both of you, thank you very much indeed, your analysis and your insight, extremely important today. We're going to take a very, very short
break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back you're watching "Breaking News" on CNN. Russia's imprisoned Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny has died at the age of 47.
According to Russia's prison service, Russian state media report and ambulance crew tried to resuscitate Navalny for more than half an hour.
He was serving time in a remote penal colony there the Arctic Circle infamous for its harsh conditions. Russia's Prison Service says it is
investigating "the sudden death" but we know of course Navalny had previously been targeted in a high profile assassination attempt in 2020.
Well, back in 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would face devastating consequences if Alexei
Navalny were to die in prison. Here are Mr. Biden's remarks to the media about that conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say what happened if Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny dies?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for
Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get to Arlette Saenz at the White House. What has been the response at this point?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, White House officials, administration officials have been stressing they are still
working on actual confirmation of these reports that Alexei Navalny died while in prison in Russia, but they have expressed their belief that this
is a terrible tragedy.
We've also heard directly from Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who both said even as they're awaiting
confirmation for these reports that they believe Russia, is responsible. We also know Blinken. I met privately with the wife of Alexei Navalny, Yulia
to express his condolences if these reports actually do pan out to be true.
But it does come as you heard from President Biden there that he has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin directly that the consequences of Navalny
dying in prison would be devastating for Russia.
[09:25:00]
Now this was before Russia invaded Ukraine before the crippling sanctions that had been issued against the country in the wake of that invasion. So
there's a big question about what the consequences would look like now. That is something National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan hinted at a bit
earlier today in his own remarks about this saying that they will be working with countries once they've confirmed that this is true to figure
out what those next steps will be.
But this is something Biden has really been pressing Putin on since the beginning of his administration. In his very first phone call with Putin,
Biden raised the need for Putin to immediately release Navalny that is something that administration officials consistently have been pushing for
in recent years.
Right now, just a short while ago, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks in Munich, where she talked about how this is a further sign of
Putin's brutality in Russia. But Harris's meetings and conversations that are ongoing in Munich are now really taking on a heightened significance.
Harris had been traveling there to in one part, to talk about the U.S. role in the world, but also U.S. commitment to NATO allies out of Trump, or at a
time when back here at home, Former President Donald Trump recently suggested that he would encourage Putin to do whatever he wants to
countries who have not met their NATO obligations.
The Vice President made a very veiled reference to that in her remarks a bit earlier saying imagine if we went easy on Putin, let alone a encouraged
him. So this reported death of Navalny certainly will raise the stakes of her conversations she is having their overseas.
We are still waiting to hear from President Biden to certainly anticipate there will be at least at the very least a paper statement from him. He's
also expected to travel a bit later today. So we will see what exactly the President has to say. But this is very concerning to the White House.
And the next question is going forward is what the White House, what the U.S. and its allies might do to respond to this reported death of Navalny
while in prison?
ANDERSON: Yeah. And you make a very good point, Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Alexei Navalny, on reports of his death, speaking just in the past 10, 15
minutes or so at the Munich Security Conference said, and I want to quote her here, Arlette, we cannot believe Putin's government.
They are lying constantly, she said, But if this is the truth, that her husband is dead at the age of 47. She said, I want Putin and all his
friends to know they will be punished for what they have done with my country, my family and my husband. Does beg the question, what is that
punishment? What might that look like, Arlette?
SAENZ: Yeah, that is the big question right now, especially at a time when in the past, one of the real tools in the Biden administration's arsenal
was implemented the sanctions against the Russian government, against Russian officials. We know that back in August of last year, the
administration had moved to impose sanctions and visa restrictions on four Russian operatives who were involved in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.
But so far we have seen that Putin has been undeterred by these actions that have been put together by the White House and its allies. So it really
begs the question of what more the U.S. feels it can do in this moment. They're very concerned about the fact that the political Opposition Leader
dissident had really died in the prison where Putin had placed him.
But it really just begs the question of what exactly the administration could charge going forward especially at a time when Putin has really blown
over, bulldozed over any type of actions the White House is trying to take against him.
ANDERSON: Good to have you Arlette. Arlette, you get back to working your sources on the ground there, Arlette Saenz in Washington. We have been
showing you the last video of Alexei Navalny and a Russian court just yesterday, Thursday. His last public message was on Wednesday on
Valentine's Day to his wife.
The message said, quote baby, everything is like in a song with you. There are cities between us, the take-off lights of airfields, blue snowstorms
and thousands of kilometers. But I feel that you are near every second and I love you more and more. Right now, we'll bring in Nigel Gould-Davies.
He is Former U.K. Ambassador to Belarus and a Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He joins us
from Berlin.
[09:30:00]
Let me just get your initial response to the news certainly from Russian prison services today that Alexei Navalny is dead at the age of 47. Yet to
be officially confirmed even his wife, Yulia, who spoke just moments ago, in Munich at the security conference, there does not have confirmation that
he is there which must be utterly traumatizing for her and her family. And your response if indeed this news is true?
NIGEL GOULD-DAVIES, SENIOR FELLOW INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: Yeah, it's shocking, but unfortunately not entirely surprising.
Navalny was the most talented organizer, and opposition leader and communicator of his generation. He was known to be personally hated by
Putin, who in public could not even bring himself to utter Navalny's name. He used to refer to him simply as the prisoner, or after Navalny had been
poisoned with Novichok as the patient.
So there's a very personal animus here, Navalny had been sentenced to decades long in extremely harsh conditions, in effect, a life sentence, it
turns out to be a death sentence, it would seem. I think we can have no confidence in the official version of how he died. As we've already noted,
he appeared in good spirits and health just a day or so ago.
But whatever the underlying causes de facto, he is a matter I would say killed by the Russian state. Now there is a larger domestic politics to
this, I think. The first part of that is the election is coming up. Now the outcome is an utterly foregone conclusion. And yet Navalny, despite the
harsh conditions he was kept in, was still able to make his voice carry, he was still able to get his messages out.
And most recently, he's supported Boris Nadezhdin (ph) the one opposition candidate who was trying to be registered to compete against Putin. We know
that he was not allowed to register, Navalny supported him. And I think all of this shows actually betrays an underlying lack of confidence in the part
of the Kremlin, in respect of the support of the war.
The second point is what might happen after the elections. There is a widespread expectation, not a certainty, but a possibility that Putin once
the election stuff is out of the way might order another mobilization of his citizens to force a proportion of them to join the war of aggression
against Ukraine. We know the first time he did that in September 2022 was very unpopular.
That was the first time the war really came home to the Russian people. Lots fled abroad there was a great deal of anxiety. Navalny even in prison
would have been in a very effective voice and critic of such a mobilization. And now sadly it would seem he's silenced forever.
ANDERSON: Nigel, it's good to have you. I need to take a very short break. I'm going to obviously get back to this on the back end of that, so we're a
couple of minutes away. It's good to have you sir. Your analysis is vitally important at this point. We are taking a very short break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:35:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching Breaking News here on CNN. Well, President Putin's staunchest critics have
died in prison at the age of 47. The Russian prison service reports Alexei Navalny, who was serving a 19 year sentence after being convicted of
extremism felt unwell after a walk and quickly lost consciousness.
Navalny had been moved to one of the strictest penal colonies in Siberia in late December 2023. This is Navalny's last message sent to his wife for
Valentine's Day. Everything is like a song with you. There are cities between us, the take-off lights of airfields, blue snowstorms and thousands
of kilometers. But I feel that you are near every second. And I love you more and more. That message is to his wife on Wednesday.
We have video into CNN of Alexei Navalny in a Russian court just yesterday. I have to say, he certainly looked perfectly well, although a little gaunt
given his circumstances. Well, today the prison service has reporting that he has died and his wife Yulia got a standing ovation in Munich where she
has been speaking in the last 20 minutes. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NAVALNAYA: Thank you much for having me here. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak in this room. And you all heard about the horrific
news. I thought about it quite a while. I thought, should I stand here before you or should I go back to my children? And then I thought, what who
would have Alexei done in my place?
And I'm sure that he would have been standing here on this stage. I don't know. Should we believe the terrible news we get. The news we get only from
the official media, because for many years, and you know all this, we have been in this situation. We cannot believe Putin and his government. They
are lying constantly.
But if it is the truth, I would like Putin and all his staff, everybody around him, his government, his friends, I want them to know that they will
be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with my husband, they will be brought to justice. And this day will come
soon.
And I would like to call upon all the international community, all the people in the world, we should come together and we should fight against
this evil. We should fight this horrific regime in Russia today. This regime and Vladimir Putin should be personally held responsible for all the
atrocities they have committed in our country the last years. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: Alexei Navalny's wife speaking in Munich in front of world leaders and those gathered there for the security conference. My next guest
says political prospects are absent in Russia. There are only martyrs. Alexander Baunov is a Journalist and a Senior Fellow with the Carnegie
Endowment, Russia Eurasia Center. It's good to have you, sir, your response, firstly to the news of Alexei Navalny's death?
ALEXANDER BAUNOV, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Yes, it's true. And it's just reminding that further around the
seventh anniversary of Russian invasion in Ukraine. It's a reminder that Russian regime is waging a war not only externally against Ukrainian
citizens, but is well internally against its own citizens. And Russia has changed immensely after the invasion.
ANDERSON: By which you mean what explain?
BAUNOV: Look, it's an important thing. Russia was a dictatorship, and is a dictatorship. But before 10 years, or even five years, it was a
dictatorship when the regime where the regime cheated or sidelined its opponent, opponents but didn't kill its opponent.
Now it's changed in the classical, brutal dictatorship with it's -- with one hand is waging an aggressive war. And with another hand, has started a
real old style, repression, Russia and even the late Soviet Union hasn't seen for a long time. I just remind you that the last political prisoner
who was -- who died in a Russian prison was March in 1986.
ANDERSON: I want our viewers just to hear from Navalny who appeared in a Russian court just yesterday, have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAVALNY: Your Honor, I am waiting and I will send you my bank account number so that you could warm it up a little from your huge salary of a
federal judge, because my money is running dry. And because of the decision you took, they will end even sooner. So do transfer Alexander (ph). You
too, please have the whole prison chip in --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What do you make of his humor there?
BAUNOV: I missed your question, sorry because of the problems with the connection.
ANDERSON: Yeah, I just wonder what you make of Alexei Navalny's humor there just yesterday in a Russian court. I mean --
BAUNOV: It is one thing that made his regime and Putin to hate him so much and to fear him so much. Because with his humor, he was still influential,
or he was listened by the younger generations of Russians and followed his advices, his political advises were followed by younger generations of
Russia. Even in prison, he could influence the so called elections.
At least he was very effective from the strategy of vote for anybody against Putin or vote for anybody against his party United Russia. Even
when there's no choice, he could influence the result of elections, that's important about him, exactly with the smooth -- with his good humor, yes.
ANDERSON: We're going to take a very short break, folks. Thank you, sir, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
ANDERSON: You're watching Breaking News here on CNN. One of President Putin's staunchest critics has died in prison at the age of 47. The Russian
prison service reports that Alexei Navalny who was serving a 19 year sentence after being convicted of extremism that on top of an 11 year
sentence that he was already serving had felt unwell after a walk and quickly lost consciousness.
This is according to prison services. Navalny had been moved to one of the strictest penal colonies in Siberia in late December 2023. Earlier this
hour, Navalny's wife called on the international community to fight against Vladimir Putin's regime. More on that as we get it.
Well, no heat, no water, no power. That is how conditions are described at Southern Gaza's main hospital where an Israeli military raid is in its
second day. Nasser is the last main hospital functioning in Southern Gaza. Health officials there say five patients have died since the complex lost
power earlier today.
The Israeli military says it is not found the remains of hostages, but it detain more than 20 people it said was suspected of involvement in the
October 7th attacks. And in the United States, the district attorney who brought charges against Former President Donald Trump and the U.S. State of
Georgia will not be returning to the stand for a second day of testimony.
Fani Willis is accused of having a secret romantic relationship with the special prosecutor, she hired and benefiting financially from it. She
denies those allegations. Trump's attorneys claimed this has created a conflict of interest and want Willis and her team thrown off the case. We
are waiting to see what will happen next in today's hearings.
Well as reports of the death of Alexei Navalny travel around the world, leading figures give that reaction. Coming up, we will hear who is saying
what after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:50:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching Breaking News here on CNN. As we continue to follow the story of the death
of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. That announcement came from the Russian prison service. Navalny was partway through a very long
sentence, he had been recently moved to a prison near the Arctic Circle.
Prison officials add Navalny fell ill after taking a walk then lost consciousness. The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posting on X this is
terrible news as the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life. Take a listen as to
what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had to say.
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JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: I am deeply saddened and concerned about reports coming from Russia, that Alexei Navalny is dead.
All the facts have to be established and Russia has serious questions to answer. Alexei Navalny has been a strong voice for freedom for democracy
for many years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, in his speech early, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, slammed Russia over Navalny's death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: Doesn't care who dies as long as he retains his position. And that is why he must not keep anything. Putin
must lose everything. He must not retain anything, and must be held accountable for what he has done.
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ANDERSON: Well, Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt joins us now live from Munich. In this past hour we have heard from Navalny's
wife, who says if this is true, I mean, clearly utterly traumatic for her and her family not knowing for sure whether indeed her husband is dead.
That is what prison services are reporting. But she made that speech in front of world leaders in Munich where you are. And she said if indeed he
is dead then he and those around him should be punished. Alex, it was an audience that gave Yulia a standing ovation. As I understand it, from those
in the room, they were riveted by what she said and how composed she was. Question is how will they respond?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far Becky, they're responding with shock and horror, which would have happened
regardless with this news. But I think it's all the more intensified because of the fact that you have so many people together here in Munich.
So many of these world leaders together in Munich, who had planned on gathering over the course of three days mainly to discuss Ukraine and
helping Ukraine defend itself against Vladimir Putin.
And here we have this extraordinary news of Navalny's death, which, as you've noted, and you heard there, from Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO
as well as, as Navalny's wife, there is not quite skepticism, but not quite fully believing the Russian reports just yet.
We had heard that Yulia Navalnaya was here in Munich that was quickly confirmed by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who mentioned her in her
opening remarks really at the start of this conference.
And then not long after minutes, moments after Harris wrapped up, it was announced that there would be a surprise guest and Mrs. Navalnaya stepped
up to the podium. She was emotional but stoic, stoic, speaking very powerfully about her husband and about the reports of his death.
She did say that there is reason to distrust obviously the Putin regime, but made no doubt that she certainly holds Putin personally responsible.
She said that we must fight against this evil; this regime should be personally responsible.
[09:55:00]
We've also heard from the most senior U.S. officials here, Vice President Harris, of course, as well as Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken
has actually met with Navalny's wife. We are told he offered his condolences.
And of course now we're trying to get a sense of what exactly happened, how Navalny died. But what is not in question is whether it is Mrs. Navalny or
U.S. officials or all the other officials gathering here, they hold Putin personally responsible, it is Putin's regime that put Navalny in prison,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Alex. Thank you. We will be right back with more news, stay with us.
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