World
EU leaders say Russia responsible for death of Alexei Navalny
Several EU leaders have said they hold the Kremlin directly responsible for the sudden death of Alexei Navalny.
Navalny, 47, the face of Russia’s silenced opposition, died in prison on Friday following years of political persecution at the hands of the state.
The EU, which has long saluted Navalny’s unwavering fight for Russian democracy, had previously attempted to exert pressure on the Kremlin for its systemic repression of government critics.
EU leaders on Friday pinned blame for Navalny’s death – which has rocked Brussels and EU capitals – on Putin’s Russia.
“The EU holds the Russian regime (solely) responsible for this tragic death,” European Council President Charles Michel said on social media platform X.
Michel’s words were echoed by Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, who said: “Let’s be clear: this is Putin’s sole responsibility.”
An official on behalf of the EU’s diplomatic arm, headed by Borrell, also said the bloc held Putin’s Russia directly accountable for Navalny’s passing.
“Russia took his freedom and his life, but not his dignity,” Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, said.
“Alexei Navalny didn’t die in prison, he was killed by the Kremlin’s brutality and its aim to silence the opposition at any cost,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said.
“Alexei Navalny’s death is yet another dark reminder of the rogue regime we’re dealing with – and why Russia and all those responsible must be held accountable for each of their crimes,” said Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, who was listed ‘wanted’ by the Kremlin earlier this week for what it says are charges relating to historical memory.
“Putin’s regime imprisoned and has now tortured to death one of the last symbols of democracy in Russia,” Latvian prime minister Evika Silina said.
“I call on Russia to cease repressing political opposition and release all political prisoners,” Silina added.
The three Baltic EU states are staunch backers of Kyiv and have called for harsh EU measures against Russia for its war in Ukraine and repression at home.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply disturbed” by the news of his death. “A grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about,” she said.
Tributes also poured in from the Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Polish, Spanish and Swedish leaders.
Greatest threat to Putin exterminated
Navalny was seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest political opponent and greatest threat to his grip on power.
He was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov prize for freedom of thought in 2021 for his tireless fight against the corruption and human rights abuses in Russia, despite several attempts by the Kremlin to threaten, torture and poison him.
His daughter Daria Navalnaya, receiving the prize while her father was serving a prison sentence at a Russian forced labour colony, gave the following message to the European Parliament on his behalf:
“Say that no one can dare to equate Russia to Putin’s regime. Russia is a part of Europe and we strive to become a part of it,” she said in 2021.
ADVERTISEMENT“But we also want Europe to strive for itself, to those amazing ideas, which are at its core. We strive for a Europe of ideas, the celebration of human rights, democracy and integrity.”
In 2020, Navalny was urgently evacuated from a Siberian hospital to Germany, where he was treated after being poisoned with a Novichok-type nerve agent.
Despite the apparent attempt at assassination by the Russian regime, he returned to Russia in 2021, where he was sentenced to 19 years in a penal colony on charges of extremism.
He had initially been serving his sentence in a prison in central Russia, but was transferred late last year to a “special regime” penal colony above the Arctic Circle.
An EU official said Friday Navalny had been “slowly killed” in prison.
ADVERTISEMENTDeath could prompt further sanctions
An senior EU official speaking on condition of anonymity said on Friday that Navalny was someone “we really admired and appreciated” and whose fight the bloc had “followed for years.”
But his death also casts a harsh light on the bloc’s inability in the years prior to the war in Ukraine to exert sufficient diplomatic pressure on Russia to comply with its human rights obligations.
In 2021, a year before the start of the war, the bloc slapped sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on Russian officials responsible for Navalny’s detention under the so-called Magnitsky act.
Further sanctions were imposed on individuals involved in Navalny’s chemical poisoning in November 2022, eight months following the invasion of Ukraine.
His death will be discussed when EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENTThe official added that the bloc was “ready to see if we can list (sanction) more people involved in this murder.”
Trump warns Iran it ‘can’t blackmail’ US with Hormuz closure
Fox News reports on heightened tensions in the Middle East as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reaffirms strict control over the Strait of Hormuz and fires on passing ships. President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, states the US naval blockade will remain in full force. White House correspondent Alex Hogan provides updates on the escalating diplomatic and military standoff.
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Hundreds of commercial tankers are stranded on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shut the critical chokepoint on April 18, halting traffic and leaving crews trapped amid reports of gunfire and “traumatic experiences” on board.
The Strait of Hormuz is considered an international waterway under international law, through which ships have the right of transit passage, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Iranian gunboats opened fire on a tanker the same day, while a projectile struck a container vessel, damaging cargo.
STARMER AND MACRON ACCUSED OF ‘PLAYING AT BEING RELEVANT’ WITH STRAIT OF HORMUZ PLAN
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that “U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are among the assets executing a blockade mission impacting Iranian ports.” (CENTCOM)
Audio released by maritime monitoring group TankerTrackers appears to capture the moment a vessel and its crew came under fire while approaching the strait, including a distress call from a crew member.
“Sepah Navy! Motor tanker Sanmar Herald! You gave me clearance to go… you are firing now. Let me turn back!” the crew member can be heard saying in the recording, according to TankerTrackers.
Iranian state media confirmed that shots were fired near vessels to force them to turn back, while the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India said the foreign secretary was deeply concerned.
Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest container shipping line, told Fox News Digital that it had activated a crisis team as its crews remain stuck on board vessels in the region.
“We have been working from Friday afternoon until today with the entire crisis team to bring the vessels out — in vain, unfortunately,” said Nils Haupt, senior director of group communications at Hapag-Lloyd AG.
“These events can easily lead to traumatic experiences. There is also a significant risk from sea mines, which has made insuring vessels for passage through the Strait nearly impossible.”
LISA DAFTARI: HORMUZ WHIPLASH PROVES TEHRAN CAN’T HONOR ANY DEAL IT SIGNS
“The crews are well, but they are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated. It is very unfortunate that we could not leave today,” he added. “Many ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf.”
“Our six ships are anchored near the port of Dubai, and all crews hope for an improvement in the situation,” Haupt said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on April 18 that the strait would remain closed until the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, warning ships not to move from anchorage or risk being treated as “enemy” collaborators.
Iran has previously argued that restrictions on its oil exports and shipping amount to “economic warfare,” framing actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to foreign pressure on its economy, according to statements from Iranian officials and state media in past incidents.
“Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any violating vessel will be targeted,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
TRUMP ORDERS A BLOCKADE IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TENSIONS WITH IRAN SOAR
Fishing boats dot the sea as cargo ships, in the background, sail through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo)
The United States imposed the blockade on Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait, with U.S. Central Command saying the measures are being enforced “impartially against all vessels.”
Hapag-Lloyd said its vessels have been stuck for weeks following the initial closure after the outbreak of war with Iran on Feb. 28.
“For us, it is critical that our vessels can pass through the strait soon,” Haupt said.
“We offer all crew members unlimited data so they can video call loved ones and access entertainment. Crews are strong, but after weeks on board there is growing monotony and frustration.”
“One crew experienced a fire on board from bomb fragments. Others have seen missiles or drones near their vessels,” he added.
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“They are resilient, but each additional day makes the situation more difficult, more monotonous, and more stressful.”
President Donald Trump said Iran had agreed not to close the strait again but after the closure, Trump called the situation “blackmail” and said the U.S. would not back down.
Shops and schools shut in northern Israel as residents protested a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon that took effect on April 16, saying “nothing was achieved”. Israeli officials say operations may continue, with forces still deployed inside southern Lebanon.
Published On 19 Apr 2026
World
Pope Leo says remarks about world being ‘ravaged by a handful of tyrants’ were not aimed at Trump: report
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Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that remarks he made this week in which he said the “world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants” were not directed at President Donald Trump, a report said.
The pope, speaking onboard a flight to Angola during his 10-day tour of Africa, said reporting about his comments “has not been accurate in all its aspects” and his speech “was prepared two weeks ago, well before the president ever commented on myself and on the message of peace that I am promoting,” according to Reuters.
The news outlet cited the pope as saying his comments were not aimed at Trump.
“As it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not in my interest at all,” the pope reportedly said.
’60 MINUTES’ ACCUSED OF USING LEFT-LEANING CARDINALS TO BAIT TRUMP INTO FEUD WITH VATICAN
Pope Leo XIV answers journalists’ questions during his flight from Yaoundé, Cameroon, to Luanda, Angola, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (Luca Zennaro/Pool Photo via AP)
Vice President JD Vance later took to X to thank the pope for clearing the record.
“While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict — and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen — the reality is often much more complicated,” Vance wrote. “Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will inevitably mean he offers his opinions on the moral issues of the day.
“The President — and the entire administration — work to apply those moral principles in a messy world,” he continued. “He will be in our prayers, and I hope that we’ll be in his.”
The vice president’s comments came days after he told Fox News’ Bret Baier on “Special Report” that it would be best for the Vatican to “stick to matters of morality.”
“Let the President of the United States stick to dictating American public policy,” Vance said Tuesday.
Trump last Sunday accused Pope Leo XIV of being “terrible” on foreign policy after the pontiff criticized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
“He talks about ‘fear’ of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
POPE LEO SLAMS THOSE WHO ‘MANIPULATE RELIGION’ FOR MILITARY OR POLITICAL GAIN, TRUMP RESPONDS
Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump (Simone Risoluti/Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images; Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
During a speech in Cameroon on Thursday, the pope said, “We must make a decisive change of course — a true conversion — that will lead us in the opposite direction, onto a sustainable path rich in human fraternity.
“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters.
Pope Leo XIV speaks as he meets with the community of Bamenda at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda on the fourth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa April 16, 2026. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic or political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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