The White House says it is preparing “major sanctions” on Russia in response to Opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death in an Arctic penal colony.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that the new package would be unveiled this Friday. He declined to detail the new actions, citing US government policy, or share how they would expand on the already stiff sanctions the US and its allies have put on Russia in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

Kirby said only that the sanctions, which will coincide with the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, will be “specifically supplemented with additional sanctions regarding Navalny’s death.”

Kirby said the US had not determined how Navalny had died, but insisted that the ultimate responsibility lies with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Regardless of the scientific answer, Putin’s responsible for it,” he told reporters.

Brother targeted

Russia has initiated a new criminal case against Oleg Navalny, the brother of Alexei Navalny, the Tass state news agency reported on Tuesday.

Tass did not say under which article of the criminal code the case had been opened but said the police were searching for Oleg Navalny who was already on the wanted list.