'From ho-ho-ho to I love you': Here's how Putin critic Alexei Navalny described his last days in Arctic prison

Russia's opposition leader and President Vladimir Putin's ardent critic Alexei Navalny had spent his last few weeks in a penal colony above the Arctic Circle before he reportedly died due to blood clotting.

Various rights groups as well as Western nations had widely condemned his 19-year prison sentence, which was seen by many as a punishment for trying to cross President Vladimir Putin.

While staying in prison, Navalny regularly sent messages through his lawyers and posted light-hearted messages on social media platforms.

Here's how Navalny described his final days in his own words

Navalny shared his first message from the Arctic prison colony on December 26 as he reappeared after weeks of disappearance.

Speaking from the icy IK-3 prison colony located in Yamal-Nenets' Siberian region, Navalny said, "I am your new grandfather Frost. I have a tulup, an ushanka and I will have valenki soon.”

"I now live above the Arctic Circle ... But I don't say 'ho-ho-ho, I say 'oh-oh-oh' when I look out the window, where first there is night, then evening, then night again,” he added.

He also spoke about getting tired fromthe 20-day journey he had to take to reach his new prison from his previous prison which was located in the central Vladimir region. "Don't worry about me, everything is well. I am so happy that I finally got here,” he said.

Sharing more detail about the new Arctic prison, Navalny had said, "The idea that Putin was pleased (enough) that he had put me in a barracks in the Far North that they would stop throwing me in solitary confinement was ... naive.”

He was allowed to go on a walk at 6:30 am when it was pitch black outside, speaking about which the 47-year-old said: "I promised myself I would go out in any weather."

He described his prison in Arctic Circle as being "11 steps from wall to wall".

In a January 9 post, Navalny said, "It has never been colder than minus 32 (Celsius). Even in such a temperature you can walk more than half an hour -- only if you have the time to grow back a nose, ears and fingers. Today I was walking, freezing and thinking about Leonardo DiCaprio and his trick with a dead horse in The Revenant."

Watch:EU says Russia 'sole responsible' for Navalny death

The 47-year-old Putin critic also constantly ridiculed prison routines. On January 22, he wrote how the prison wardens would wake everyone up at IK-3 and play the Russian national anthem.

"And right after that -- the second most important song in the country: Shaman's 'Ya Russky,'" Navalny said. The song, which means "I'm Russian" in English, has become President Vladimir Putin's unofficial anthem.

"Imagine the scene. Yamal-Nenets region. Polar night. In a penal colony of convicts, prisoner Navalny serving 19 years -- who the Kremlin's propaganda for years has scolded for taking part in Russian marches -- is exercising to 'Ya Russky',” he said.

The last post was shared by Navalny on Valentine's Day and was dedicated to his wife Yulia.

"Baby, you and I have everything, just like in the song: cities, airfield lights, blue snowstorms and thousands of kilometres between us. But I feel that you are near me every second, and I love you more and more,” he said.

(With inputs from agencies)