Putin Critic Alexei Navalny Found in Brutal Arctic Prison Two Weeks After Disappearance

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny resurfaced on Tuesday, over two weeks after he mysteriously disappeared during a prisoner transfer.

Navalny reappeared at one of Russia’s harshest prisons, a former gulag called the Polar Wolf colony in the Arctic Circle.

“I am your new Father Frost,” Navalny said with characteristic humor when writing his first social media post since he disappeared before a scheduled court video appearance on December 11. Father Frost is the feisty Russian version of Santa Claus.

“Well, I now have a sheepskin coat, an ushanka hat, and soon I will get valenki,” Navalny told his followers. Ushankas are furry hats with flaps to cover the ears, while valenki are traditional Russian felt boots.

“The twenty days of transfer were quite tiring, but I’m still in an excellent mood, as Father Frost should be,” he said, noting that his “strange” route of transportation to the prison colony was seemingly designed to keep him in transit, and out of touch, for as long as possible. He said he was a little surprised when one of his lawyers appeared at his cell door because he thought he would not be found until mid-January.

Playing up his Santa Claus joke, Navalny said he could see no reindeer from his cell, but remarked several times on the “beautiful fluffy shepherd dogs” accompanying the prison guards.

“Anyway, don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I’m totally relieved that I’ve finally made it. Thanks again to everyone for your support, and happy holidays!” he said.

The U.S. State Department said it remains “deeply concerned for Mr. Navalny’s wellbeing, and the conditions of his unjust detention” despite his jaunty holiday message.

Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said strongman Vladimir Putin wants Navalny “isolated to reduce his influence, even from prison, in Russia’s presidential election in March.”

“This prison will be much worse than the one that was before. They are trying to make his life as unbearable as it possibly can be,” Yarmysh said.