During a press conference at his campaign headquarters, Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosed that the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny would have been part of a prisoner exchange with the West. Putin indicated that a deal involving Navalny had been agreed upon before his death, with a crucial condition that Navalny would not return to Russia.

"When it comes to Mr. Navalny: yes, he died. This is always a sad event. We have had other cases of people dying in detention centers," Putin said at the press conference. "Hasn't this happened in the United States as well?" he countered an attempt by an American journalist to link Navalny's death in prison to the level of democracy in Russia, noted TASS.

Putin's remarks come amidst lingering uncertainty surrounding Navalny's death in February at the age of 47 in the Arctic penal colony "Polar Wolf". Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, believes her husband was killed in the camp, particularly in light of his survival of a poison attack in 2020.

Leonid Volkov, Navalny's longtime associate, condemned Putin's statement as "cynical", accusing the Russian president of orchestrating Navalny's demise. Volkov's fiery denouncement likened Putin to a "blood-sucking beetle"  on the brink of collapse.

Putin's comments align with earlier assertions by Maria Pevchikh, the political director of Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, who claimed that a prisoner exchange deal was in the works, with Navalny slated for release just before his death.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended Russia's stance, suggesting that Navalny's widow Julia had ample opportunities to visit her husband but chose to remain abroad.

"Navalny's widow had many times a chance to come to Russia and see her husband. She preferred to stay abroad. Why? You can answer this question", Peskov stated.