The shocking death and extraordinary life of Alexei Navalny – podcast

The opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner was Putin’s fiercest critic. What does his death in a Siberian prison tell us about Russia today? Andrew Roth reports

Alexei Navalny’s death has shocked the world. Yet it was far from surprising. Described as Vladimir Putin’s biggest critic, the anti-corruption campaigner had survived several attacks – from being almost blinded to being poisoned by a nerve agent. At the time of his death he was locked up, in brutal conditions, in a prison in Siberia.

Navalny appeared in court the day before he died, and although he looked thinner, his supporters did not think he was on the brink of collapse. The Russian government said he had died from sudden death syndrome. But his family and friends say whatever the cause, there is one man to blame.