Moscow, 19 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Alexei Navalny's widow has vowed to continue her husband's fight for a "free Russia," three days after authorities said he fell unconscious and died at the polar penal colony he was imprisoned at.

"I will continue the cause of Alexei Navalny, fight for our country. I call on you to stand by my side," said Yulia Navalnaya in an emotional video message published on YouTube on Monday.

In tears, the mother of two accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of not only killing her husband but also depriving Russia of hope for freedom and justice.

In the video that featured personal pictures and recordings of Navalny's public appearances, she accused Putin of murdering one his fiercest rivals.

"Three days ago, Vladimir Putin killed my husband Alexei Navalny," she said.

Her husband had been tortured to death in the prison camp and repeatedly locked up in solitary confinement in a small concrete box, she said, adding that the name of the person who carried out the murder on Putin's orders will be released shortly.

Now the regime is even hiding the body of the 47-year-old from his family, charged Navalnaya, who lives outside of Russia.

According to the Russian authorities, Navalny dropped dead on Friday while walking around the courtyard of his Siberian prison camp in freezing temperatures.