TASS-Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Dies In Prison

State-run TASS reporting that according to the Federal Penitentiary Service of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Alexi Navalny - the most prominent opposition figure in Russia - has been found dead in the prison colony.

• Navalny has since the early 2010s been the most prominent and vocal of activists against the rule of President Vladimir Putin. He has been imprisoned since returning to Russia in 2021. His arrest sparked some of the largest protests seen in Russia during Putin's tenure. It remains to be seen what the reaction to his death will be.
• The BBC reported in Jan: "Navalny had been moved to the IK-3 penal colony, nicknamed "Polar Wolf", in the northern town of Kharp, some 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow in December. It's seen as one of the toughest jails in Russia and most detainees held there have been convicted of serious crimes."
• Navalny's reported death comes exactly one month before the presidential election takes place, with Putin seeking another six-year term in office. He will not face any effective opposition, with any candidates opposed to Putin or the war in Ukraine barred from running.