Pussy Riot Member Blames Putin for Death of Alexei Navalny: 'It Was a Cold-Hearted Assassination'

Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova has spoken out about the death of Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny, who reportedly perished in an Arctic penal colony on Friday, Feb. 16.

The activist was sent there following his frequent criticisms of President Vladimir Putin, who many figures in the west have blamed for Navalny's death.

"Navalny did not just die in Arctic jail, it was a cold-hearted assassination. Right before presidential •elections• in Russia" Tolokonnikova said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"Putin is personally responsible for the death of my friend. Navalny is Russia's light, hope and its bravest heart."

The musician's take on the situation was similar to President Joe Biden's.

"Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death," he said at a press conference on Friday. "What has happened to Navalny is even more proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled."

The president also urged Congress to pass more military aid to Ukraine, which is currently fighting a war with Russia. That's why relations between the U.S. and Russia are at their lowest point in decades.

Tolokonnikova also shared a video of Russians gathering to mourn Navalny and a series of questions for journalist Tucker Carlson, who angered many by interviewing Putin earlier this month.

"Why didn't you ask Putin about Navalny? How come you failed to mention Putin's biggest political rival? How come you stand for freedom, but obey Putin's censorship?" she aked.

"Your silence allowed the tragedy that just happened. How does it feel to be partially responsible for Navalny's death?"

After Navalny was evacuated to a German hospital following a poisoning attempt in 2020, Tolokonnikova penned an op-ed for The New York Times.

"I have known too many attacked in a similar way as my friend Aleksei seems to have been," she said. "What political end could be worth doing this to another human being?"

Tolokonnikova noted that her ex-husband Pyotr Verzilov suffered a similar attack in 2018. Like Navalny, he also received treatment in Germany.

"We were getting the same runaround from doctors in Russia, who were putting out the same type of ridiculous stories that it wasn’t poison, that maybe he had done this to himself," Tolokonnikova claimed. "In the same way, they delayed the transfer while the trace of toxins vanished from his blood."

Navalny returned to Russia in 2021 and was promptly arrested. He had previously been convicted on embezzlement charges (which many believe were trumped up) and was taken in for parole violations. The following year, Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Tolokonnikova also shared a Russian-language poem she wrote the day before Navalny's death.

"Russia, honey, I loved you / You were my eternal wife / I f**ked you up, I haven't forgiven you," she said. "Russia, listen, I loved you / And I would never cheat on you but you shoot those who loved you in the back."

She also mentioned the names of three friends – Boris Nemtsov, Anastasia Baburova and Stanislav Markelov – who were allegedly murdered by the Russian government.

Tolokonnikova and Pussy Riot became international icons in 2012 when they staged a raucous concert at a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow.

The group protested the church's support for Putin by playing a track called "Punk Prayer: Mother of God Drive Putin Away."

Three members of the collective were arrested and charged with hooliganism. Tolokonnikova was sentenced to 24 months in prison. She was released after serving a little more than a year.

Now, the musician is working to develop the story of Pussy Riot into a scripted series. The upcoming show will cover the collective's formation, the actions they took against Putin in Moscow, their prison sentences, and their protest at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi following their release.