- Vladimir Putin said the passing of Alexey Navalny was "a sad event."
- The Russian leader said that he'd agreed to release Navalny via a prison swap deal.
- "But it happens. There's nothing you can do about it. That's life," Putin said.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin said at a press conference on Sunday that he thinks Alexey Navalny's death was a "sad event."
Putin commented on Navalny's passing after claiming a landslide victory in his fifth presidential election. This was the first time Putin had spoken about Navalny since he died in an Arctic prison on February 16.
"As for Mr. Alexey Navalny, yes, he passed away, this is always a sad event," Putin said, adding that he had agreed to release Navalny via a prison swap deal so long as Navalny "wouldn't come back" to Russia.
"But it happens. There's nothing you can do about it. That's life," Putin continued.
With his victory on Sunday, Putin is set to be sworn in as Russia's longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin. The former KGB officer was first elected president in 2000 and was reelected in 2004.
Between 2008 and 2012, Putin served as Russia's prime minister in order to comply with the term limits that were in place at the time. Russia's constitution was later revised, paving the way for Putin to return when he won the presidential elections in 2012 and 2018.
While Navalny's death did inspire protests during the elections held from March 15 to 17, there was little doubt that Putin would emerge victorious when the polls closed.
Navalny was a prominent critic of Putin's leadership. The opposition politician campaigned against fraud and corruption, drawing the ire of Putin. In 2020, Navalny nearly died after he was poisoned with a nerve agent.
Navalny's lawyer, Olga Mikhailova told Russian outlet Meduza on March 8 that the opposition leader suspected that he was being poisoned in prison months before his death.
Although Putin appeared to be trying to distance himself from Navalny's death on Sunday, Western leaders have blamed Putin for causing his rival's demise.
"Russian authorities are going to tell their own story. But make no mistake, Putin is responsible for Navalny's death," President Joe Biden told journalists in February.
