Alexey Navalny, Russian opposition leader and Putin's critic, found in Siberian penal colony 2 weeks after disappearance

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AFP. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm totally relieved that I've finally made it," he wrote on X, adding, "I'm still in a good mood, as befits a Santa Claus", referring to his winter clothing and beard.

His allies on Monday said he had been transferred to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle. Navalny also said he had seen his lawyer, reported Reuters. Earlier, Navalny's spokesperson Kira Yarmysh, said in a statement on X, ""We have found Alexey," adding, "He is now in IK-3 in the settlement of Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District." ALSO READ: President Putin's challenger Yekaterina Duntsova barred from contesting elections. Here's why According to Navalny's lawyers, they lost contact with him on December 11.

Until then, he was imprisoned in a penal colony about 150 miles east of Moscow, as reported by CNN. The team added that Navalny had 'never been hidden for so long', and said he missed two scheduled court hearings last week. Navalny had been in poor health before his disappearance after being 'deprived of food' and 'kept in a punishment cell without ventilation', his team said.

As per CNN, his disappearance has been linked to Putin's announcement to run again in the elections scheduled in 2024, sparking concerns for his well-being and safety. Ivan Zhdanov, Director of Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, said that the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp where Navalny is now being held, known as "Polar Wolf," is "one of the northernmost and most remote colonies." "The conditions there are harsh, with a special regime in the permafrost zone. It is very difficult to get there, and there are no letter delivery systems," Zhdanov wrote on X.