Article originally published in English
US intelligence agencies have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin most likely did not order opposition leader Alexei Navalny to be killed, according to an exclusive from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
ADVERTISING
US intelligence agencies have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin most likely did not order opposition leader Alexei Navalny to be killed, according to an exclusive from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Navalny, who he died in custody in an Arctic prison camp in February, he was one of Putin’s fiercest critics. He was 47 years old.
Navalny’s allies, including his wife Yulia Navalnaya, accused the Russian leader of having murdered him — an accusation that the Kremlin has always denied.
The WSJ cited reports from US intelligence agencies — including an analysis of classified information — that it is unlikely that Putin ordered his opponent’s death. Euronews was unable to independently verify the intelligence reports cited.
Alexei Navalny’s death was strongly condemned by US President Joe Biden and the international community, who named Putin as the main instigator of his opponent’s death.
The Kremlin continues to deny any involvement in Navalny’s death.
Russia arrests another suspect in Moscow attack
Dzhumokhon Kurbonov, a citizen of Tajikistan, is accused of providing the attackers with means of communication and financing. The judge ruled that Kurbonov would be held in pre-trial detention until May 22 pending investigation and trial.
12 defendants were arrested in the case, including four who allegedly carried out the attack in the concert hall of Crocus City Hallaccording to RIA Novosti.
These four appeared in the same Moscow court in late March on terrorism charges and showed signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the audition. The court ordered that the men, all identified in the media as citizens of Tajikistan, also be held in pre-trial detention until May 22.
A faction of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the massacre in which armed men shot people waiting for a show by a popular rock band and then set the building on fire. But Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have persistently claimed, without providing evidence, that Ukraine and the West played a role in the attack.
Ukraine denies involvement and its officials allege that Moscow is promoting the allegation as a pretext to intensify its fighting in Ukraine.
Kremlin says Russia will overcome any EU sanctions on its LNG operations
Russia will look for ways to overcome what it says are illegal sanctions that the European Union will impose on its liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations, the Kremlin said this Saturday.
The European Commission’s next sanctions package is thought to propose restrictions on Russian liquefied natural gas for the first time, including a ban on transshipments in the EU and measures on three Russian LNG projects.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, any new EU restrictions would benefit the US and mean European industry would pay more for its gas. “Of course, in any case we will look for ways to overcome these illegal obstacles, unfair competition and illegal actions,” Peskov told journalists.
