Putin forever? Russia's president goes into this week's election with no serious contenders, cementing his already quarter-century hold on the Kremlin through at least 2030.
Despite fears of a police crackdown, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's funeral in southeast Moscow went on peacefully, two weeks after his mysterious death in an Arctic penal colony.
An associate of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says in a video statement talks were underway shortly before his death to exchange him for a Russian imprisoned in Germany.
The death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison was shocking, but hardly surprising. It follows a long line of fallen critics and opponents of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The Federal Prison Service said in a statement that Navalny felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness. The politician's team says it has received no confirmation of his death so far.
