Support The Moscow Times!

Navalny Says New Charges Could Mean Up to 30 Years Jail Time

Moskva News Agency

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said Thursday he was slapped with new terrorism and extremism charges that he says could put him behind bars for up to 30 years.

"I received an official notification that a new criminal case has been initiated against me" for propagating extremism, calling for terrorism, financing extremist activity and rehabilitating Nazism, Navalny said. 

"Lawyers calculated that, taking into account the [prison] terms for these laws, I could be here for up to 30 years."

Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud last March.

The 46-year-old was arrested in January 2021 upon returning from Germany, where he recovered from a poison attack that almost killed him, which he blames on the Kremlin. 

Navalny has denounced President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops to Ukraine and earlier this month his organization said it would reopen its offices to fight against the Kremlin's mobilization.

"I am a genius of the underworld," he said on Twitter Thursday, in his usual joking style. 

"You all thought I had been isolated in prison for two years, but it turns out I was actively committing crimes." 

Navalny, who rose to become Russia's top opposition figure from mass anti-Putin protests in 2011, built a huge social media operation producing videos exposing corruption among government officials.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more