Vladimir Putin called Alexei Navalny’s death a “sad event” as he said the opposition figure’s name for the first time in public just minutes after declaring victory Russia’s sham presidential elections on Sunday, 17 March.
The Russian leader also claimed he had given the all-clear for his prominent critic to be in a prisoner swap.
Mr Navalny died in February in an Arctic penal colony where was being held on charges of extremism.
His allies say he was murdered but Russian authorities claim he died of natural causes.
The election saw Mr Putin tighten his grip on power following the stifling of any real opposition.