Navalny"s mother told he died from "sudden death syndrome" Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother was told on Saturday that he had been struck down by “sudden death syndrome”, his team has said. She was also told that his body would not be handed over to the family until an investigation was completed, his team said. It was not clear where his body was. Lyudmila Navalnaya was given an official death notice stating the time of death as 2:17 pm local time on 16 February, Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, told Reuters. “When Alexei’s lawyer and mother arrived at the colony this morning, they were told that the cause of Navalny’s death was sudden death syndrome,” Ivan Zhdanov, who directs Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said X, formerly known as Twitter. “Sudden death syndrome” is a general term for various cardiac syndromes that cause sudden cardiac arrest and death. A summary of today"s developments Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother and his lawyer were told on Saturday that he had been struck down by “sudden death syndrome”, his team has said. Another lawyer of Navalny’s, however, was told by the penal colony’s investigative committee that the cause of death had not yet been established, Navalny’s spokesperson said. G7 foreign ministers have demanded that Russia fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny’s death. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States met in Munich on Saturday. Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday. More than 340 protesters have been arrested at Alexei Navalny memorials across Russia, Sky News reported. Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said. This claim has not been independently verified. A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said. Volodymyr Zelenskiy told world leaders not to ask when the Ukraine war will end but instead “why is Putin still able to continue it” as he underlined the threat Russia poses beyond his own country and called for more support. Kamala Harris on Saturday criticised Donald Trump’s cajoling of Russia to attack Nato allies of the US who don’t pay their dues, saying the American people would never accept a president who bowed to a dictator. “The idea that the former president of the US would say that he – quote – encourages a brutal dictator to invade our allies, and that the United States of America would simply stand by and watch,” Harris said. “No previous US president, regardless of their party, has bowed down to a Russian dictator before.” Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, Kyiv’s military chief said on Saturday, paving the way for Russia’s biggest advance since it captured the city of Bakhmut last May. U.S. President Joe Biden warned earlier this week that Avdiivka could fall to Russian forces because of ammunition shortages following months of Republican congressional opposition to a new U.S. military aid package for Kyiv. “This is the cost of congressional inaction,” said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said. Richard Luscombe Kamala Harris on Saturday criticized Donald Trump’s cajoling of Russia to attack Nato allies of the US who don’t pay their dues, saying the American people would never accept a president who bowed to a dictator. The vice-president’s comments, in a wide-ranging interview on MSNBC’s The Weekend, represent some of the strongest criticism to date of Trump’s apparent allegiance to Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Joe Biden White House has previously called the remarks by the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination – made last week at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania – “appalling and unhinged”. “The idea that the former president of the US would say that he – quote – encourages a brutal dictator to invade our allies, and that the United States of America would simply stand by and watch,” Harris said. “No previous US president, regardless of their party, has bowed down to a Russian dictator before. “We are seeing an example of something I just believe that the American people would never support, which is a US president, current or former, bowing down with those kinds of words, and apparently an intention of conduct, to a Russian dictator.” The director of the Oscar-winning Navalny documentary has said he is “delighted and not surprised” by Alexei Navalny’s wife addressing world leaders in Germany hours after her husband’s death was reported. Daniel Roher told the PA news agency: “The strength of Yulia Navalnaya (has) been well documented, we see it in her poise (and) grace, the sort of first lady in waiting status way that she facilitates herself. “I was delighted and not surprised when I saw her… take that podium, for a very commanding two-minute address, where for a brief moment, she got to be the moral centre of the universe. “I don’t know how the political structure of the organisation and Yulia will change in the next couple of weeks and months, but I know that the family is passionate and activated and now perhaps vengeful.” Some European leaders judged the West had not done enough to help Ukraine. “We should have supported you much more from the very beginning of this war,” said Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen, “because Ukraine cannot win a war without weapons. Words are simply not enough.” German economy minister Robert Habeck said Europe should have started investing more in its defence industry two years ago. German defence company Rheinmetall RHMG.DE plans to open an ammunition factory in Ukraine as part of a joint venture with a Ukrainian partner, Reuters reported. Rheinmetall, one of the world’s biggest producers of artillery and tank shells, began ramping up production after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which faces acute shortages of ammunition and whose troops have in recent days been forced to withdraw from the eastern town of Avdivka. The German company signed a memorandum of understanding at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday to build and jointly operate the new factory with a Ukrainian partner, whom it did not name. Over 340 arrests at Navalny memorials in Russia More than 340 protesters have been arrested at Alexei Navalny memorials in Russia, Sky News reported. The broadcaster cited the figures from independent human rights organisation OVD-Info which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia. Summary Here is a roundup of today’s key developments. The time in Kyiv is 6pm. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother and his lawyer were told on Saturday that he had been struck down by “sudden death syndrome”, his team has said. Another lawyer of Navalny’s, however, was told by the penal colony’s investigative committee that the cause of death had not yet been established, Navalny’s spokesperson said. G7 foreign ministers have demanded that Russia fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny’s death. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States met in Munich on Saturday. Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday. Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said. This claim has not been independently verified. A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said. Volodymyr Zelenskiy told world leaders not to ask when the Ukraine war will end but instead “why is Putin still able to continue it” as he underlined the threat Russia poses beyond his own country and called for more support. More than 250 protesters detained across Russia At least 273 people have been detained at events across 32 Russian cities since the death of Alexei Navalny, according to rights group OVD-Info. OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia, said the largest numbers of arrests on Saturday occurred in St Petersburg and Moscow, with 59 and 47 detained, respectively, as of this afternoon. It is the largest wave of political protest arrests since 1,300 gathered to demonstrate against a “partial mobilisation” of reservists for the Ukraine war in September 2022. G7 foreign ministers have demanded that Russia fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Alexei Navalny’s death. It comes as Navalny’s mother and lawyer were told that the cause of death was sudden death syndrome, according to Navalny’s associate and director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Ivan Zhdanov. “They expressed their outrage at the death in detention of Alexei Navalny, unjustly sentenced for legitimate political activities and his fight against corruption,” according to a statement released by Italy, which is currently chairing the Group of Seven wealthy nations. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States met in Munich on Saturday. Navalny"s mother told he died from "sudden death syndrome" Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s mother was told on Saturday that he had been struck down by “sudden death syndrome”, his team has said. She was also told that his body would not be handed over to the family until an investigation was completed, his team said. It was not clear where his body was. Lyudmila Navalnaya was given an official death notice stating the time of death as 2:17 pm local time on 16 February, Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, told Reuters. “When Alexei’s lawyer and mother arrived at the colony this morning, they were told that the cause of Navalny’s death was sudden death syndrome,” Ivan Zhdanov, who directs Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said X, formerly known as Twitter. “Sudden death syndrome” is a general term for various cardiac syndromes that cause sudden cardiac arrest and death. Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has confirmed his death and said the movement will go on: Alexei Navalny’s vision for a different Russia will be kept alive by his team, his ally and spokesperson Kira Yarmysh has told Reuters in an interview. “We lost our leader, but we didn’t lose our ideas and our beliefs”, Yarmysh told Reuters via Zoom. She said the team holds Russian President Vladimir Putin directly responsible for what she called Navalny’s murder. “We knew that there was a risk, Alexei knew it as well. And yesterday they murdered him as they planned to do it three years ago”, said Yarmysh. The prison service statement on Friday did not give a cause of death other than saying he collapsed after taking a walk. Navalny’s mother and lawyer were told at the prison colony on Saturday that he had died of “sudden death syndrome”, prominent Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said on Saturday. Yarmysh called on Western leaders to “put as much pressure on (Putin) as possible”, not negotiate with him, and seek justice for Navalny’s death. Russia said on Saturday that it was unacceptable for Britain to interfere in its internal affairs, Reuters reports, after London told a top embassy official that it held Russian authorities responsible for Navalny’s death. Russia said a diplomat from the embassy had been “invited” to a conversation at the Foreign Office. The UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, has also said there should be “consequences” over Navalny’s death, telling reporters at the Munich security conference Reflecting overnight makes you think what an incredibly brave man this was. His life revealed so much about the true nature of [Vladimir] Putin’s ghastly regime. And his death has revealed that all over again. There should be consequences. When appalling human rights outrages like this take place, what we do is we look at whether there are individual people that are responsible and whether there are individual measures and actions we can take. We don’t announce them in advance, so I can’t say anymore than that. But that is what we will be looking at. Summary As the time approaches 3pm in Kyiv, here is a short summary of the day’s developments so far. Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday. Kira Yarmysh added that his lawyer was told the cause of his death has not been determined. The statements came after Yarmysh confirmed the news of death on Saturday. At least 212 people were detained at events in memory of Alexei Navalny in Russia on Friday and Saturday, according to rights group OVD-Info – the largest wave of protest arrests in 18 months. Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said. This claim has not been independently verified. The Ukrainian army withdrew its troops from the devastated town of Avdiivka in Donetsk to avoid encirclement and save the lives of its troops, the army’s commander-in-chief has said. A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said. In a security conference in Munich, Volodymyr Zelenskiy underlined the threat Russia’s war poses to nations beyond Ukraine. He asked world leaders: “How long will the world let Russia be like this?” Alexei Navalny’s lawyer has been told that the cause of the Russian opposition leader’s death had not yet been determined, his spokeswoman has said. A second examination of Navalny’s body has been made and the results, “allegedly”, will be available next week, Kira Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter. Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian warplanes over eastern Ukraine on Saturday, the country’s air force chief has said. The downed planes were two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers and one Su-35 fighter, air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram. The Guardian has not independently verified this claim – Reuters reports that if true, it would represent a loss to Moscow of warplanes worth more than $100 million in total. Some photos from Moscow and St Petersburg, as people gather to remember Alexei Navalny. We have updated figures on the numbers of protesters arrested in Russia following Alexei Navalny’s death. At least 212 people were detained at events in Russia on Friday and Saturday in memory of Navalny, according to rights group OVD-Info – the largest wave of protest arrests in 18 months. It is the largest number of arrests in Russia since September 2022, when more than 1,300 were arrested for demonstrating against a “partial mobilisation” of reservists for the war in Ukraine. OVD-Info said at least 212 people in 21 cities across Russia had been detained at spontaneous rallies and vigils as of midmorning Saturday, Reuters reports. Police had detained at least 109 people in St Petersburg and at least 39 in Moscow, the country’s two largest cities, the group said. The group also reported individual arrests in smaller cities across Russia, from the border city of Belgorod, where seven people were killed on Thursday in a Ukrainian missile strike, to Vorkuta, an Arctic mining outpost. Navalny"s body "not in morgue", says spokeswoman Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has said that the opposition leader’s body was not in the morgue in Salekhard, the town near to the prison where Navalny died on Friday. Spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said Navalny’s mother and lawyer had on Saturday visited the morgue where the prison colony had told them Navalny’s body was. The morgue was closed, and they were told his body was not there. “Alexei’s body is not in the morgue,” Yarmysh said on X, formerly Twitter. It comes after Yarmysh confirmed the opposition leader’s death earlier today. A number of Ukrainian troops were captured by Russia during their withdrawal from the town of Avdiivka, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, the Ukrainian commander responsible for forces in Ukraine’s south-east, has said. It was not clear how many soldiers were captured. “At the final stage of the (withdrawal) operation, under the pressure of the overwhelming enemy forces, a certain number of Ukrainian servicemen were captured,” Tarnavskyi wrote on Telegram. He added that Ukrainian troops have now moved to the second line of defences near Avdiivka.