Navalny Died His Own Death, Russian Spy Chief Says

Lyudmila Navalnaya (the woman wearing glasses), mother of Alexei Navalny, accompanied by Alla, mother of Navalny's widow Yulia, visits the grave of her son at the Borisovo cemetery in Moscow on March 2, 2024. Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images

MOSCOW—Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died his own death, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) chief, Sergei Naryshkin, was quoted as saying on Thursday.

“I don’t think this was some kind of special plan, but unfortunately, people have a peculiarity: sooner or later life ends, they die. Navalny died a natural death, yes,” Russian news agencies said he told a television interviewer.

He was answering a question about whether any forces in the West had been involved in Navalny’s death.

Mr. Naryshkin said he found vocal reactions in the West to Navalny’s death “revolting.”

“Of course, it is quite revolting when satanic dances are performed in the West around Navalny’s coffin,” he was quoted as saying. “It is immoral, low and unethical. What else is there to say? It was totally predictable.”

Navalny died last month, aged 47, in an Arctic penal colony. His supporters alleged he had been murdered. The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in his death.