In Berlin, Scholz called the news “a terrible thing,” adding: “It is also a sign of how Russia has changed, after the hopeful developments toward democracy that have unfortunately already taken place.”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used similar words, describing Navalny’s death as “terrible news.” He added: “As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.”
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said: “Alexei Navalny paid with his life for his resistance to a system of oppression. His death in a penal colony reminds us of the reality of Vladimir Putin’s regime.”
Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who is favorite to take over as NATO chief later this year, said he was “shocked” by the news, adding it “marks the unprecedented brutality of the Russian regime.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: “The immediate reaction of NATO leaders to Navalny’s death in the form of direct accusations against Russia is self-exposing. There is still no forensic examination, yet Western conclusions are already prepared.”
The news from Russia hit the Munich conference like a “thunderclap,” said Eric Pelofsky, vice president with the Rockefeller Foundation.
