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The Russian prison service says jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has died.
The 47-year-old former lawyer made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020.
He rose to prominence more than a decade ago by documenting and speaking publicly about what he said was the vast corruption with the Putin administration.
Mr Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has blamed the Russian government for his death.
"If it is true, I want Putin and all his allies, his government, I want them all to know that they would be held responsible for what they have done with our country, with our family with my husband."
The Russian service says Mr Navalny collapsed and died after a walk at the Polar Wolf Arctic penal colony where he was serving a three-decade jail term.
An ally of Mr Navalny's, Ivan Zhdanov, has labelled his death a political murder - but did not cite any evidence.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia holds the Russian government solely responsible for Mr Navalny's treatment and death in prison.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated that message.
"First and foremost, if these reports are accurate, our hearts go out to his wife and to his family. Beyond that, his death in a Russian prison and the fixation and fear of one man only underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this."
The chief of staff of Mr Navalny says they have been unable to confirm his death as reported by the country's prison service.
Navalny's lawyer has travelled to the prison where his client had been serving his sentence to investigate.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia must be held to account.
"That is the reason why it is important to have all facts established and why Russia has some very serious questions to answer. What we have seen is that Russia has become a more and more authoritarian power, that they have used oppression against opposition for many years and of course he was in jail, he was a prisoner and that makes it extremely important that Russia now answers all the questions that will be asked."
European leaders have added to the chorus of shock and sorrow following, reiterating that they believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says all the appropriate checks to determine his cause of death are being made.
"As far as we know, currently, in accordance with all existing rules, everyone is engaged in all checks, clarifications, and so on. That is, there is no need for any special instructions, because there is a certain set of rules that everyone is now following."
