The deadly fates of Putin critics

Plane crashes, poisonings and exile — a reminder of the fate of a number of Vladimir Putin critics.

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, HOST:

A spokeswoman for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has confirmed his death in an Arctic penal colony Friday. Many allies of the activist, world leaders and Kremlin watchers are blaming the Russian government for his death. A Kremlin spokesman vehemently denied those accusations. Still, Navalny is far from the only Kremlin critic to die in suspicious circumstances. NPR’s international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam is here to talk to us about the fate of others who dared cross Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hi, Jackie.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Hi, Camila.

DOMONOSKE: First of all, why do many think there’s something suspicious about Navalny’s death?

NORTHAM: Well, he appeared in court Thursday, the day before he died, and by all accounts, appeared healthy and in good spirits. And Navalny even managed to send a Valentine’s wish to his wife. Less than 24 hours later, he collapses and dies. And the thing is, Navalny had been poisoned before while on a flight from Siberia to Moscow a few years ago with a nerve agent called Novichok. He survived. But, you know, clearly Navalny was a target of the Russian government. He was a fierce and outspoken critic of Putin. And other people who have challenged the Russian president over the years have paid for it, you know, whether it being shot or poisoned or dying in a suspicious plane crash or even falling to their death out of a window.

DOMONOSKE: Right. And Navalny certainly would have seen what happened with those other Putin critics over the years. Can you tell us more about them?

NORTHAM: You know, there are some incidents straight out of a spy novel. For example, Sergei Skripal. He was an ex-Russian spy who was convicted of working for British intelligence. And he and his daughter were found collapsed on a bench in the U.K. after being…