There are reports out of Russia that opposition leader Alexi Navalny's health is deteriorating in the Pokrov prison colony some 50 miles from Moscow. He's reportedly suffering from pains in the back and numbness and pain in one of his legs. Last year, Putin's agents tried poisoning Navalny, who was evacuated to Germany for treatment. As murderous Russian thug and dictator Vladimir Putin's main adversary, Navalny was sentenced on charges of violating his probation on a bogus 2014 conviction by going to Germany. According to the Associated Press report:
"[Navalny's lawyer Olga] Mikhailova said Navalny was taken to a hospital outside prison on Wednesday for magnetic resonance tomography but wasn’t given the results. She said Navalny has received pills and ointment for his pain, but prison authorities refused to accept medicines that lawyers brought to him.
Mikhailova said Navalny had experienced back pain for four weeks, but prison officials also would not permit a visit by his doctor. The lawyer argued that authorities should transfer Navalny to Moscow so he could get better treatment."
As long as he's in the custody of Russia's security apparatus, his life is in danger. There's every reason to suspect that Putin's agents are trying to pull off another assassination by poisoning him. In reality, the prison they've chosen for him may kill him without poison:
"The facility stands out among Russian penitentiaries for its particularly strict regime that includes routines like standing at attention for hours."
The United States and its western allies -- indeed every nation -- needs to apply maximum pressure on the Putin regime to release Navalny, and to cease cracking down on opposition. While Putin would never allow it, there should be frequent international medical inspections and treatment while he's imprisoned.
Recently, when asked if he believed Putin was a killer, President Biden responded "yes." With every assassination of domestic political rivals and the brutal treatment of Navalny, Putin's proving that point over and over.
