Putin Says Who Navalny Is to Him

Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny's imprisonment or release is within the jurisdiction of the court, and he is not treated any worse than anyone else in prison. This was stated by Russian leader Vladimir Putin in an interview with American NBC television, the transcript of which was published on Monday on the Kremlin's website.

“Here, the president does not make such decisions; it is the court that makes such decisions about whether to release or not,” said the Russian leader in response to a question about Navalny. “He can be called whatever you want. To me, he is one of those citizens of the Russian Federation who has been convicted by a Russian court and is in a penal facility, and the number of such people is quite large,” Putin continued, noting that Navalny's treatment is “nothing worse than that of others.”

“We should not create any exceptional conditions for anyone; it would be wrong. Everyone should be in an equal position. And that also applies to the person you mentioned,” the head of state added.

During the conversation, the reporter asked the Russian leader if he had ordered the killing of Navalny. “Of course not. We do not have a habit of killing anyone,” the Russian president replied.

He reminded that Navalny is serving a sentence in a penal facility because he previously violated the terms of his suspended sentence. “The person has been convicted conditionally twice. In fact, he has simply been warned not to violate the legislation in Russia. No, complete disregard for the requirements of the law,” Putin stated.

“If someone hides behind political activity to solve their own problems, including commercial ones, then it is necessary to respond accordingly.”

Putin also posed several questions to his interlocutor regarding the political situation in the United States. “I want to ask you: Have you ordered the killing of the woman who entered Congress and was shot by the police? Do you know that you have 450 people who were arrested after entering Congress?” he inquired.

According to the Russian leader, the protesters did not come to the U.S. Congress building in Washington “to steal a computer; they came with political demands.” As a result, 450 people have been arrested, facing imprisonment from 15 to 25 years, the Russian leader reminded.

The President of Russia drew attention to the fact that some of those who participated in protests in the U.S. are now facing charges of “conspiracy to overthrow the government” or for robbery, although “they did not come to steal.” “Is this not persecution for political views?” Putin asked.