Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies in prison

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died on Friday (Feb 16) in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia's federal penitentiary service said.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died on Friday (Feb 16) in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia's federal penitentiary service said.

Western governments immediately attacked the Kremlin over the death of the most outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny lost consciousness after a walk and could not be revived by medics, the prison service said.

"Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called," it said.

"Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established."

Navalny did not appear to have any health complaints when speaking by video link to a court on Thursday, state media reported.

He did not complain about his health and "spoke actively, presenting arguments in defence of his position", a regional court from the city of Vladimir, to the east of Moscow, told the RIA news agency.