The mysterious prison disappearance of Putin’s most powerful opponent

Alexei Navalny’s sudden disappearance from a high-security Russian prison camp has led to an outpouring of conspiracy theories, writes Mary Dejevsky. But in the real world it has serious – and sinister – repercussions

Amnesty International has designated Navalny a prisoner of conscience and called on the Russian authorities to ‘disclose his fate and whereabouts immediately’ (AFP via Getty)

Russia’s best-known opposition figure Alexei Navalny has gone missing, from the one place you would have thought no one could go missing: a high-security Russian prison camp.

The alarm was sounded by his lawyers, who said they had been told that Navalny was no longer listed at the penal colony north of Moscow, but were not informed of his whereabouts. Amnesty International has designated Navalny a prisoner of conscience and called on the Russian authorities to “disclose his fate and whereabouts immediately”.

The most prosaic explanation for Navalny’s disappearance is that he is in the process of being transferred to another camp. In August, he was sentenced to an additional 19 years for offences, including “inciting and financing extremism”, which his supporters see as politically motivated.