In a statement on Friday quoted by state media, the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region said Navalny “felt bad” after a walk and lost consciousness “almost immediately”.

It added: “Medical staff arrived immediately, and an ambulance team was called. 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 has been imprisoned since January 2021 when he returned to Moscow after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Before he was arrested, he led campaigns against corruption and organised major anti-Kremlin protests.

Jailed on charges of extremism, he saw his sentence extended to 19 years in 2023.

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