Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who Russian authorities said Friday died in prison, survived an assassination attempt several years ago that he said was orchestrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny led an opposition movement against Putin in Russia, often campaigning against the Russian president and criticizing the government for deep corruption among its top officials. Navalny, who was frequently arrested and imprisoned during his work, was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August 2023 for “extremism.”

In 2020, Navalny said in an interview with 60 Minutes that Putin attempted to have him assassinated through the use of the deadly nerve agent Novichok. In August of that year, Navalny collapsed during a flight and was rushed to a hospital. He was later transferred to a medical center in Berlin, where doctors found Novichok in his system.

“I said to the flight attendant, and I kind of shocked him with my statement, ‘well, I was poisoned and I am going to die’ and I immediately laid down under his feet,” Navalny said, describing his collapse.

“It’s maybe the most toxic agent invented by humans,” Navalny said, describing Novichok. He said the type he was infected with is a new version, and that it shows that Putin has been secretly developing more potent forms of the nerve agent.

Asked how he is certain that Putin was behind the poisoning, Navalny said that Novichok is a tightly controlled substance that only Putin would be able to use.

“Even for an oligarch, it’s impossible to get this Novichok. It’s not something that you can buy at the store even if you have millions, billions of dollars. Maybe more important, you cannot use it. You would kill yourself and everyone around,” Navalny said.

“Then, this huge coverup operation, there is no criminal investigation so far. If Putin is not responsible, why is there no criminal investigation,” he continued.

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Novichok, developed in the Soviet Union, made headlines in 2018 when it was found in Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Skripal and his daughter were hospitalized for weeks after they were found unresponsive on a park bench in the U.K.

After he was hospitalized in Russia, Navalny said officials blocked him from leaving. Navalny’s wife went public, accusing Russian authorities of trapping her husband in the hospital.

“It was a big fight, and they thought after 48 hours, the poison would be untraceable. And they just keep me there until the 48 would be gone,” Navalny said.

Berlin doctors found traces of Novichok in Navalny’s system, and a test ran on a water bottle in Navalny’s hotel room came back positive for the nerve agent, as well, Navalny said.

“I think for Putin, why he’s using this chemical weapon, to do both: kill me and terrify others,” Navalny said. “It’s something really scary for people to just drop dead. There are no guns, there are not shots, and in a couple of hours you just drop dead. And without any traces on your body. It’s something terrifying, and Putin is enjoying it.”