Kremlin Disputes Report Putin Didn’t Order Navalny’s Death

Russia has dismissed a report claiming Vladimir Putin did not order the killing of famed dissident Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison in February.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told Russia’s state-run media on Saturday that he had seen the Wall Street Journal report, which cited an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, and that there was little reason to believe it. He derided its logic and said it wasn’t worth looking into.

“I would not say that this is high-quality material that deserves any attention. Some very empty reasoning,” Peskov said.

The Kremlin’s rejection of the U.S. report oddly puts them in agreement with Navalny’s allies, who have also disputed its findings.

Leonid Volkov, a longtime Navalny supporter, slammed the report and said those who believe Putin wasn’t involved “clearly do not understand anything about how modern day Russia runs.”

“The idea of Putin being not being informed and not approving killing Navalny is ridiculous,” he added.