Vladimir Putin’s main political opponent Alexei Navalny may have been killed with a technique once taught to KGB special forces operatives, after his body was “destroyed”, it has been claimed.
Citing a source working in the Arctic penal colony where Mr Navalny had died, Vladimir Osechkin, founder of the human rights group Gulagu.net, said the bruising found on the body of the Russian politician was consistent with the technique of delivering one punch to the heart.
Mr Osechkin claimed that, despite the brutal cold, Mr Navalny had been forced to spend two and a half hours outdoors, where it can get as freezing as -27C, the day he died.
The statement issued by the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where the politician was serving his sentence, said the man had “felt unwell after a walk”.
The human rights activist added prisoners are normally kept outdoors for no more than an hour, and for even less time when it is particularly cold.
Mr Osechkin told the Times: “I think that they first destroyed his body by keeping him out in the cold for a long time and slowing the blood circulation down to a minimum.”
To kill someone in that condition with a single punch, he added, is “very easy” if the operative is experienced enough.
Mr Osechkin also claimed: “It is an old method of the KGB’s special forces divisions. They trained their operatives to kill a man with one punch in the heart, in the centre of the body. It was a hallmark of the KGB.”
Mr Osechkin also claimed the death of Mr Navalny had been prepared in advance, citing sources claiming some security cameras and listening devices at the prison where the politician was being kept had been disconnected ahead of February 16.
The cause of death of Mr Navalny, who died on February 16, hasn’t yet been clarified.
Hours after the statement issued by the prison service in which it was claimed the politician had “almost immediately” lost consciousness after “feeling unwell”, an unidentified source told the state-controlled news outlet RT that Mr Navalny had suffered a blood clot.
The following day, Mr Navalny’s grieving mother Lyudmila Navalnaya and his lawyer received a notice of death claiming he had been a victim of “sudden death syndrome”.
