FINLAND-RUSSIA-POLITICS-NAVALNY-OBIT

People place flowers and candles in front of the Russian embassy in Helsinki, Finland on February 17, 2024, one day after Russian officials announced the death of the Kremlin's most prominent critic Alexei Navalny. Western nations mounted pressure on Russia, blaming its leader and the government for the death of leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison in opaque circumstances. Navalny's death was announced on February 16, 2024 after three years in detention and a poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. It deprives Russia's opposition of its figurehead just a month before an election poised to extend President Vladimir Putin's hold on power and comes at a time of intense repression and as Moscow's campaign in Ukraine nears its two-year anniversary. (Photo by Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva / AFP) / Finland OUT (Photo by RONI REKOMAA/Lehtikuva/AFP via Getty Images)