Lynne Tracy, the United States Ambassador to Russia, laid flowers at Moscow's Solovetsky Stone in memory of Russian President Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic Circle jail while serving 19 years on extremism charges.
She visited the shrine despite Russian authorities' efforts to restrict memorials and tributes to the Navalny. Russian police has detained over400 people at Navalny rallies.
“Today at the Solovetsky Stone we mourn the passing of Alexey Navalny and all other victims of political repression in Russia. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and supporters. His strength is an inspiration. We honor his memory," said the US embassy in a statement.
Meanwhile, at another memorial known as the "Wall of Grief," which remembers Soviet-era repression, authorities erected barriers to deter mourners as many saw Navalny as a hope to challenge alleged corruption and state oppression.
Also Read: Nikki Haley holds Putin responsible for Navalny's death, questions Donald Trump's silence
In a statement, Lynne Tracy called Navalny “a strong voice that spoke bravely against corrosive corruption and represented hope for political change.”
{{/usCountry}}In a statement, Lynne Tracy called Navalny “a strong voice that spoke bravely against corrosive corruption and represented hope for political change.”
{{/usCountry}}Highlighting that Russian Constitution promises its citizens freedom of speech, Navalny was “persecuted, poisoned, imprisoned, tortured and died for what he believed he needed to say to the Russian people and to the world.”
“It is a difficult thing for the global community to see his mistreatment and his death, but it is stark evidence of the dark and frightening direction the Kremlin is taking its people. We will be patient as the authorities bring facts to light, but be assured the world is watching,” she concluded.
Earlier, Nigel Casey, the British Ambassador to Russia, also visited the shrine to pay tribute to Navalny.
Biden warns Putin after Navalny's death
Biden lambasted Putin for Navalny's death and warned that there could be consequences, saying he was "not surprised" but "outraged" by the opposition leader's death.
"We don't know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that the death of Nalvany was a consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did," Biden stated.
"Russian authorities are going to tell their own story," Biden asserted. "But make no mistake. Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny's death."
The 47-year-old Navalny had been a vocal critic of Putin, and Biden had stated after meeting Putin in Geneva in June 2021 that Nalvany's death might have catastrophic consequences for Putin.