The investigator who investigated Navalny's death and did not open a case has been promoted

Alexander Varapaev, an employee of the Investigative Committee for the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug who conducted an investigation into the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has received a promotion, Verstka has drawn attention to this.

After the politician's death in February 2024, Varapaev signed documents as an investigator for particularly important cases, Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh told reporters.

But in April, he began signing documents as deputy head of the department for investigating particularly important cases—the same position listed in the refusal to open a case into Navalny’s death, published today.

FBK director Ivan Zhdanov claimed that Varapaev called Navalny’s mother with an offer to bury her son secretly:

"He said, 'You know, the body is decomposing, and time is not working in your favor, think about it and agree to our terms. And we also have media resources to tell more about some nuances that no one would want to know,'" Zhdanov said.

After this, Verstka reported that Varapaev, in 2006, when he was 18, was convicted of using violence and insulting a government official (Articles 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code).