Putin likely didn’t order death of Russian opposition leader Navalny, US official says

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn’t order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February. An official says the U.S. intelligence community has found “no smoking gun” that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny’s death or directly ordered it. The official says it’s believed Putin was ultimately responsible for the death of Navalny, who endured brutal conditions during his confinement. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Navalny was Russia’s best-known opposition politician and died while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he called politically motivated. A month later, Putin won reelection.