US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he was not “surprised” but “outraged” by reports of the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, AFP and Reuters reported.

“He bravely stood up to the corruption, the violence and all the bad things that the Putin government was doing,” Biden said at the White House. “Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death.”

The White House has asked for more information about Navalny’s death in a Russian correctional facility north of the Arctic Circle, where he was sent less than two months ago, but has no specifics.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Washington of “generalized accusations” after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held Moscow “responsible” for the death in custody of dissident Alexei Navalny, AFP reported.

“Instead of making radical accusations, it is better to show restraint and wait for the official results of the medical examination,” the Russian diplomacy said in a statement.

• the news is updated