Putin breaks silence on Navalny’s death after sham election sees him win landslide victory

Vladimir Putin has broken his silence on the death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who died in an Arctic prison last month. Speaking at his campaign headquarters after claiming a landslide victory in Russia’s sham elections, the Russian president claimed he was prepared to exchange Navalny, describing the opposition leader’s death as a “sad event”. “Concerning Mr Navalny. Yes, he passed away, it’s always a sad event,” said Putin. He added that “a few days” before Navalny died, he had been approached by colleagues with the idea of trading the Russian dissident in a prisoner exchange with Western countries. “I said: ‘I agree. Only on one condition: we’ll exchange him so that he does not return,’” he said. #putin #russia #navalny Read more here: Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now: Get the latest headlines: and are websites of The Telegraph, the UK’s best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.