Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny located amid growing concern

Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been located after almost three weeks of uncertainty about his status, associates of his said Monday. 

Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Navalny was found in the IK-3 penal colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District in Siberia. She said his lawyer visited him and he is doing well. 

Navalny’s attorneys had said they had not been able to reach him or know where he was since Dec. 6. He was previously imprisoned in the Vladimir region in central Russia, about 140 miles east of Moscow. 

Navalny is currently serving a 19-year prison sentence on charges of extremism. He is a leader opposition figure to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the legal proceedings against him have been internationally condemned as unfair and arbitrary. 

The region where Navalny was sent is known for long and harsh winters. His chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, said in a post on X that getting to the colony is almost impossible, as is sending letters. 

The Anti-Corruption Foundation, which Navalny founded, said Russian authorities clearly wanted to isolate him, especially in advance of the elections scheduled for Russia in March. 

Putin is running for a third consecutive term and fifth overall and is expected to easily win reelection in a process international observers do not expect to be free or fair. 

The foundation said Navalny’s associates received a lot of false information about his whereabouts. They sent more than 600 requests, and his attorneys searched every detention center to find him, sometimes multiple times. 

The foundation said Navalny’s lawyer was not immediately admitted to IK-3 upon finding him, and the colony appeared to be prepared for Navalny’s arrival in advance. 

Transfers in the Russian prison system often are secretive, and inmates can disappear for weeks at a time. Navalny has been in prison since January 2021.

“The situation with Alexei is a vivid example of how the system deals with political prisoners, trying to isolate and suppress them,” the foundation said. 

The Associated Press contributed.