Germany’s vice chancellor and foreign minister were among those who paid tribute to Alexei Navalny, who was seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic.
This is upon the announcement of his death in prison on Friday at the age of 47.
“Navalny’s death shakes me to the core. The Putin regime has him on its conscience,’’ Vice Chancellor, Robert Habeck, said.
Habeck said Navalny’s commitment to a better Russia had cost him his life.
“He was a patriot who stood up for democracy and the rule of law and loved his country and the people there more than his own life.
“Like no other, Alexei Navalny was a symbol of a free and democratic Russia.
“That’s exactly why he had to die. My thoughts are with his wife and children,’’ Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, wrote on X.
