US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to have given the order for the assassination of opposition politician Alexei Navalny at the FKU IK-3 penal colony in the Arctic back in February, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The sources added that the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department’s intelligence unit said that the assessment doesn't challenge Putin's responsibility for Navalny's death, but rather suggests that he probably did not specifically order it at that particular time.
As a result of Navalny's demise, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union have implemented a series of sanctions targeting penal colonies and individuals.
