"Putin's Stance on Navalny: Prisoner Swap and 'Sad' Death"

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for a prisoner exchange involving Alexei Navalny just days before the opposition leader's death, stating that he agreed to the idea but with the condition that Navalny wouldn't return to Russia. Navalny's associates claimed that talks for the swap were in their final stages before his sudden death in a penal colony. Putin's remarks came during a late-night news conference following a presidential election in which he secured a landslide victory, amidst ongoing accusations of political suppression and media control. Navalny, a prominent opposition figure, died last month while serving a 19-year sentence on what his supporters deemed politically motivated charges.