I just can't see why Putin would have him killed. It makes no sense to me, he was already in prison, why make him a martyr now, before elections? As an idea elections in Russia are this month.
We also know Tucker interviewed him shortly before Navalny died and we know that Navalny chose to be in Russia. Maybe CIA wanted to not allow people to process the interview and move to martyr Navalny. There are some spicy stuff in the interview like the US blowing Northstream pipeline and Nazis in Ukraine so who knows.
Every media and politician is 100% sure Putin killed him without even considering any alternative.
My take is that the CIA killed Navalny in order to start unrest before elections or to make sure normies keep funding Ukraine.
Unlikely tbh. First he was held at IK-3 prison, which is bumfuck nowhere.To even get there is a task, getting there unnoticed even more. If the CIA has the capabilities to do so, would they risk showing that for Navalny?
I also doubt that him dying now is really changing something in regards to the upcoming elections. Putin has too much control to steal the election. Unrests will be dealt with just like anti-war protests at the start of the war.
I don't see something to gain from a Western perspective.
From Putin's perspective there's also not much to do. We know that Navalny had connection to the world outside the prison, like with video calls during court appearances. I heard, but don't know & didn't check, that he was still pushing anti-Putin narratives during those. That might be a reason for Putin to kill him, but the timing seems off. Wait until after the elections and it's easier.
I personally go with the good old explanation: A man was sent to basically a death camp where he was not supposed to return from. He was often denied medical aid in recent years. Putin doesn't think he's important to keep him alive. So I say, natural death. It was coming rather sooner than later to someone like him.
I assume you mean the Russian election and not the American election, because otherwise you'd be a complete nutjob. But I think OP was talking about the American election.
Likely true, but assuming that Putin didn't kill him, he wouldn't want a guy not very popular in Russia but magnified in the West to die in custody. That is reason enough to keep him alive even if you don't think he's important.