Watch: Alexei Navalny’s mother makes direct plea to Vladimir Putin to release son’s body

Alexei Navalny’s mother has issued a video appeal directly to Vladimir Putin for the release of her son’s body.

In a recorded message outside the “Polar Wolf” Arctic Circle penal colony on Tuesday (20 February), Lyudmila Navalnaya said: “I appeal to you, Vladimir Putin, because the solution to this problem depends only on you.

“Let me finally see my son. I demand that Alexei’s body be released immediately so that I can bury him in a humane way.”

Russian authorities have said they will not return Mr Navalny’s body for two weeks while they continue investigating his death.