DISINFO: Navalny's death is an attempt to reverse the huge positive effect of Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: Navalny's death is an attempt to reverse the huge positive effect of Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson

SUMMARY

The Russian opposition behaves like a "totalitarian sect," refusing to ask critical questions or wait for investigation results [about Navany’s death]. The timing of the incident, coinciding with the Munich conference, where everybody was ready with obituaries and accusations, following the frenzied reaction to Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson, is suspicious. The Russian authorities are the least likely to benefit from the incident, especially given the upcoming elections and high presidential support, off the charts, which was boosted globally by the interview. Those in power in other countries do not care about values such as freedom or justice, but are instead focused on retaining their positions by appealing to voters influenced by the incident.

RESPONSE

Conspiracy theory. Alexey Navalny, reported dead in custody on 17 February, 2024, was a Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist, and political prisoner. He organised anti-government demonstrations and advocated reforms against corruption in Russia and against President Vladimir Putin and his government. He was recognised by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience, and was awarded the Sakharov Prize for his work on human rights.

In 2020, he was poisoned with a nerve agent by Russian security agents.

After recovering in Germany and returning to Russia, he was arrested at the airport. He faced prosecution in several criminal cases and was sentenced to 19 years in a special regime prison (a regime reserved for individuals convicted of particularly serious offenses such as terrorism in Russia) for creating an 'extremist community.' This designation was applied to his anti-corruption foundation. In 2022, he was included on Russia's list of 'extremists and terrorists,' although he did not commit any terrorist acts or prepare them. Navalny’s latest investigation, published on his website blocked by the Russian authorities, is dedicated to the secret enrichment of Vladimir Putin’s daughter in connection with the next elections in Russia, scheduled for March 17, 2024.

Besides the unexplained connection and how Western actors could be involved in this incident which took place in a remote Russian penal colony, there is no evidence to support the claim that Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin had any impact on the situation. Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin did not generate any positive reactions. For instance, there were no rallies in Western countries advocating for a change in policy towards Russia's war in Ukraine or addressing Russia's lack of respect for human rights. See the article Why Putin’s Interview With Tucker Carlson Didn’t Go to Plan by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

See other similar cases, The West is exploiting Navalny's death to launch a campaign of hatred against Putin, Navalny may have died due to a mRNA vaccine supplied by Germany, Alexei Navalny is one of the many victims of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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