Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died, the management of the prison in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, where Navalny was serving his sentence in colony No. 3, announced today. According to Russia's Federal Prison Service, Navalny felt ill after a walk and almost immediately lost consciousness. An emergency medical team confirmed the death after unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation. The cause has not been identified yet.

In a post on the Facebook page of the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov indicated that Navalny's death was "sad news that shows why it is important to value democracy." According to Denkov, "for years, Navalny has been a symbol of the fight against the dictatorship in Russia, of the fight for free speech, of the fact that a person cannot be imprisoned because of a different opinion." "We have to imagine that there is another world where no one can freely say what they think, except for the one at the top, and they can send you to a penal colony," the prime minister also noted and warned that "we must not forget this because it has happened in our country as well".

On his Facebook page, the leader of GERB, Boyko Borissov, commented: "Navalni is dead?! No - Navalny was killed! The regime killed him!". According to Borissov, "this is a murder against democracy", therefore, "strong pressure on the Kremlin and more help for Ukraine" was needed.

"We Continue the Change" party also condemned the events surrounding Navalny's death. In a statement sent by the party's press office, it is noted that this is "an attempt to systematically and purposefully kill free will, democracy and the courage to be an oppositionist and a fighter for justice." The announcement also states that the parliamentary group of the PP-DB "will introduce a bill for the comprehensive introduction of all sanctions and measures against the Putin regime and its economic interests on Bulgarian soil."