Imprisoned Putin critic Alexei Navalny reassured his worried supporters that he’s doing fine after being transferred to a penal colony in the Arctic and going radio silent for weeks.
“I am your new Santa Claus,” Navalny wrote on X. “I don't say ‘Ho-ho-ho,’ but I do say ‘Oh-oh-oh’ when I look out of the window, where I can see a night, then the evening, and then the night again.”
The Russian opposition leader said it took 20 days to transfer him from a prison near Moscow to his new cell at a tough penal colony known as the “Polar Wolf” that’s north of the Arctic Circle.
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“They brought me here on Saturday night. And I was transported with such precaution and on such a strange route... that I didn’t expect anyone to find me here before mid-January,” he said.
“That’s why I was very surprised when the cell door was opened yesterday with the words: ‘A lawyer is here to see you.’ He told me that you had lost me, and some of you were even worried. Thanks very much for your support!”
Navalny, who’s serving a 19-year sentence for extremism, lost contact with his team on Dec. 6, in the midst of his transfer, and supporters grew worried about his health when he missed two court hearings.
In the post, Navalny told them to fear not: “I’m fine. I’m totally relieved that I’ve finally made it. Thanks again to everyone for your support. And happy holidays!”
He then closed with a bit of (dark) humor.
“Since I’m Santa Claus, you’re probably wondering about the presents. But I am a special-regime Santa Claus, so only those who have behaved very badly get presents.”
