Current:Home > BackThe imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny resurfaces with darkly humorous comments-InfoLens
The imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny resurfaces with darkly humorous comments
View Date:2024-12-23 16:12:29
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday released a sardonic statement about his transfer to a Arctic prison colony nicknamed the “Polar Wolf,” his first appearance since associates lost contact with him three weeks ago.
Navalny, the most prominent and persistent domestic foe of President Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on an extremism conviction. He had been incarcerated in central Russia’s Vladimir region, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) east of Moscow, but supporters said he couldn’t be found beginning on Dec. 6.
They said Monday that he had been traced to a prison colony infamous for severe conditions in the Yamalo-Nenets region, about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow.
“I am your new Santa Claus,” Navalny said in a tweet, referring to his location above the Arctic Circle in the prison in the town of Kharp.
The region is notorious for long and severe winters. The town is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Vorkuta, whose coal mines were among the harshest of the Soviet Gulag prison-camp system.
Navalny, who is noted for sharply humorous comments, said he was in a good mood after being transported to the new prison, but suggested the northern winter darkness is discouraging: “I don’t say ‘Ho-ho-ho,’ but I do say ‘Oh-oh-oh’ when I look out of the window, where I can see night, then the evening, and then the night again.”
Prisoner transfers in Russia often result in contact with inmates being lost for weeks. Navalny’s supporters contend the transfer was arranged to keep Navalny out of sight amid Putin’s announcement that he will run for another term as president in the March election.
Navalny has been behind bars in Russia since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. Before his arrest, he campaigned against official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests.
He has since received three prison terms and spent months in isolation in Penal Colony No. 6 for alleged minor infractions. He has rejected all charges against him as politically motivated.
veryGood! (63)
Related
- Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly are expecting their first child together
- Deadly military helicopter crash among many aviation disasters in Southern California
- Maisie Williams Details Intense 25-Pound Weight Loss For Dramatic New Role
- Andra Day prays through nervousness ahead of Super Bowl performance
- Tua Tagovailoa playing with confidence as Miami Dolphins hope MNF win can spark run
- Sexual violence is an ancient and often unseen war crime. Is it inevitable?
- CIA terminates whistleblower who prompted flood of sexual misconduct complaints
- Dakota Johnson says being on 'The Office' was 'the worst time of my life'
- Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
- Goldfish believed to be world's longest caught in Australia: He was a monster
Ranking
- Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650 million, just 3 years after buying the app for $7.3 billion
- Attorneys for West Virginia governor’s family want to block planned land auction to repay loans
- Lawmaker looks to make Nebraska the latest state to enact controversial ‘stand your ground’ law
- Utah governor says school board member who questioned a student’s gender ‘embarrassed the state’
- My Chemical Romance returns with ‘The Black Parade’ tour
- Kristin Juszczyk Reveals How Taylor Swift Ended Up Wearing Her Custom Chiefs Coat
- Will King Charles abdicate the throne? When 'hell freezes over,' experts say
- Jason Isbell files for divorce from Amanda Shires after nearly 11 years of marriage: Reports
Recommendation
-
Black women notch historic Senate wins in an election year defined by potential firsts
-
Missouri Senate votes against allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest
-
Fans pack college town bars as Kendall Jenner serves drinks at Alabama, Georgia and Florida
-
Climate scientist Michael Mann wins defamation suit over comparison to molester, jury decides
-
Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
-
Missouri Senate votes against allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest
-
Inert 1,000-pound bomb from World War II era dug up near Florida airport
-
Jon Stewart changed late-night comedy once. Can he have a second act in different times?