Putin critic Alexei Navalny says he’s in good spirits at prison north of Arctic Circle

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Tuesday confirmed his arrival at what he described as a snow-swept prison above the Arctic Circle, saying he was in excellent spirits despite his tiring 20-day journey.

Navalny posted an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, via his lawyers after his allies lost touch with him for more than two weeks while he was in transit with no information about where he was being taken, prompting concern from Western politicians.

He had previously been held at a penal colony 235 kilometres east of Moscow,

Navalny’s spokesperson said Monday that Navalny, 47, had been tracked down to the IK-3 penal colony north of the Arctic Circle, in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region about 1,900 kilometres northeast of Moscow.

“I am your new Father Frost,” Navalny wrote jokingly in his first post from the prison, a reference to the harsh weather conditions.

“Well, I now have a sheepskin coat, an ushanka hat (a fur hat with ear-covering flaps), and soon I will get valenki (traditional Russian winter footwear).

“The 20 days of the transfer were quite tiring, but I’m still in an excellent mood, as Father Frost should be.”

One of the toughest prisons in Russia

Navalny’s new home, known as the Polar Wolf colony, is considered to be one of the toughest prisons in Russia. Most prisoners there have been convicted of grave crimes. Winters are harsh — and temperatures are due to drop to around –28 C there over the next week.

About 60 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, the prison was founded in the 1960s as part of what was once the GULAG system of forced Soviet labour camps, according to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.

“The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost,” said Leonid Volkov, an aide to Navalny. Volkov said it was difficult to communicate with prisoners held at the remote site.

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Navalny, who thanked his supporters and everyone else for their concern about his welfare during his long transfer, said he had seen guards with machine-guns and guard dogs, and had gone for a walk in the exercise area, which he said was in a neighbouring cell, the floor of which was covered with snow.

Otherwise, he said he had just seen the perimeter fence out of a cell window.

“Anyway, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’m awfully glad I finally made it here,” said Navalny.

Navalny lawyer Ivan Zhdanov on Monday said this prison will be “much worse than the one that was before.” Zhdanov told Reuters TV in Vilnius via video call. “They are trying to make his life as unbearable as it possibly can be.”

Zhdanov said Navalny supporters had sent 618 requests for information about his location, and suggested the Russian authorities wanted to isolate Navalny ahead of the March presidential election.

Navalny says he has been imprisoned because he is viewed as a threat by the Russian political elite. As a prisoner, he is unable to run in the election.

He denies all the charges he has been convicted of and casts Russia’s judicial system as deeply corrupt. Russia says he is a convicted criminal.

Supporters cast Navalny as future leader

Navalny earned admiration from Russia’s disparate opposition for voluntarily returning to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated for what Western laboratory tests showed was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent.

Navalny says he was poisoned in Siberia in August 2020. The Kremlin denied trying to kill him and said there was no evidence he was poisoned with a nerve agent.

His supporters cast him as a future leader of Russia who will one day walk free from jail to lead his country, though it is unclear how much popular support Navalny has inside Russia.

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The authorities view him and his supporters as extremists with links to the CIA who they say is seeking to destabilize Russia. They have outlawed his movement, forcing many of his followers to flee abroad.

Last month, Navalny lamented the terrible state of inmates’ teeth in Russian prison.

“Poor nutrition, a lack of solid food, lots of sweet stuff [the most affordable food], a lot of strong tea, smoking and a complete absence of dental care do them in.”