According to preliminary information released by the Russian prison system, political opponent Alexei Navalny was walking in the prison yard when he "suddenly felt unwell, fainted, and fell." The note informs that emergency services were called, "but the inmate died on the scene."

Navalny, 47, died just 1 month before the presidential elections in Russia. According to some commentators, although Navalny had been transferred to a remote location in Siberia, his mere existence was a source of discomfort for Vladimir Putin and could act as a destabilizing factor in the final stretch of the presidential elections.

With Navalny's "disappearance," the political landscape in Russia becomes "lighter" and even more unobstructed for Vladimir Putin.

Internally, his "disappearance" also serves as a powerful message to other politicians with aspirations to be opposition figures.