Alexei Navalny: Protest planned outside Russian embassy in London
Protesters will gather outside the Russian embassy in London on Friday evening after the death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny in Russia.
The demonstration is expected to begin at 6pm outside the embassy, located in Kensington Palace Gardens next to Hyde Park.
Demonstrations are planned in several countries around the world after the death of Mr Navalny in custody on Friday.
Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said there should be "consequences" for Vladimir Putin after the 47-year-old’s anti-corruption campaigner death.
His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has also called on the international community to hold the Kremlin responsible.
One protester has already begun the demonstration outside the embassy in central London, holding up a sign in Russian that reads: "Killers."
Dmitrii Moskovskii, of the Russian Democratic Society, a group of Russian immigrants in the UK, said he expected a large turn-out of those opposed to Putin’s regime and to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking on Sky News, he said he expected similar protests in Russia. Asked about Mt Navalny’s death, he said: “For sure, he was killed.”
Moscow's federal prison service claimed in a statement that the politician, 47, felt unwell after a walk on Friday and lost consciousness.
An ambulance arrived to try to rehabilitate him, but he died, the agency said.
There was no immediate confirmation of Mr Navalny's death from his team.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "This is terrible news.
"As the fiercest advocate for Russian democracy, Alexei Navalny demonstrated incredible courage throughout his life.
"My thoughts are with his wife and the people of Russia, for whom this is a huge tragedy."
Tributes came from across the political spectrum in the UK, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer adding: “Alexei Navalny showed incredible, impossible courage in his fight for Russian democracy.
"His death is terrible news for the Russian people. My thoughts are with his friends and family, as well as his supporters across the world."
Mr Navalny, who campaigned against official corruption and organised major anti-government protests, has been behind bars since January 2021.
He was arrested on his return from Germany where he had been recuperating after a nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.
Mr Navalny had rejected all charges against him as being part of a politically motivated vendetta.