Russia expelled A a report Claiming that Vladimir Putin did not order the killing of famous dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison in February.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, Tell Russian state-run media reported on Saturday that he had witnessed it Wall Street Journal The report, which cited an assessment by US intelligence agencies, said there was no good reason to believe it. He scoffed at his logic and said it wasn't worth considering.
“I would not say that this is high-quality material that deserves any attention. Some very empty logic,” Peskov said.
Curiously, the Kremlin's rejection of the US report puts it in agreement with Navalny's allies, who also questioned its findings.
Leonid Volkov, a longtime Navalny supporter, criticized the report and said those who believe Putin was not involved “clearly do not understand anything about how Russia is run in the modern era.”
He added: “The idea that Putin was not informed and did not agree to kill Navalny is ridiculous.”
The finding was first reported by The Wall Street JournalShe said the Russian autocrat did not directly plan the timing of Navalny's death, although he did not question his responsibility for it. While Putin bears responsibility for sending Navalny to the brutal prison camp where he died, US intelligence does not believe he planned to kill Navalny when he died.
Sources told… Wall Street Journal That outcome is widely accepted within the US intelligence community, although some European intelligence allies doubt it could have happened without direct intervention from Putin.
According to the Wall Street JournalThe intelligence report relied on classified information and analysis of the timing of his death near Putin's previously scheduled re-election date, among other factors.
The sources did not say whether the report examined how Navalny died. At the time, the Russian prison service said he collapsed after walking and emergency personnel were unable to revive him.