As reported exclusively by russian sources at the moment, he lost consciousness after a walking hour and prison medics were unsuccessful in reanimating him, as per sources in УФСИН (government body regulating prisons and punishment). He was 47 years old at that time. The last time he was heard of he was moved from Moscow-based prison into the IK-3 named Polar Wolf, a penal colony located in a permafrost region near the town of Harp, where he found his end.
No other sources commented on that by now. At that time, there’s no independent proof of that or other explanations but the one given by prison authorities.
A fitting reminder is that presidential elections are to be held in 15-17 of March, meaning it happened exactly one month prior to them.
The thing with Russia in particular is that people seem to overlook the fact that it’s decades behind its western neighbors in terms of societal and political development, which has been the case for centuries.
Having spoken to multitudes of people outside and within Russia, I do believe that the gap has shrunk rather significantly in the last 40 years or so. Despite the attempts of rapidly aging and increasingly more delusional people that currently comprise the Russian government, this gap seems to be shrinking further still - to some degree, thanks to the same people fueling the country’s desire for change.
So I don’t think you’re being too optimistic or naive. I think you’re being very observant and keen-eyed. In fact, I’d go as far as to say you’re being a bit too pessimistic thinking that we’re going to face another decade like 90s, for two reasons: