A Moscow court on Monday arrested in absentia four allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
At least eight exiled Navalny associates face criminal charges under wartime censorship laws, according to the Navally-affiliated news outlet Sirena.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered Kira Yarmysh, Maria Pevchikh, Dmitry Nizovtsev and Anna Biryukova to serve two months in pre-trial detention once they are arrested or extradited back to Russia.
Pevchikh, who chairs Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), is accused of vandalism, spreading “fake news” about the Russian army and creating an “extremist” organization.
Navalny’s spokeswoman Yarmysh and Nizovtsev, who hosts the daily opposition news program Popular Politics on Navalny’s YouTube channel, are accused of participating in an “extremist” organization and spreading war fakes.
Biryukova, who heads public opinion research at ACF, is accused of making public calls to commit terrorism.
Russia’s Interior Ministry issued arrest warrants for Pevchikh, Nizovtsev and Biryukova in December.
Yarmysh has been wanted since March 2022 on separate charges of violating Covid restrictions.
Russia banned ACF and Navalny's nationwide political network as "extremist" organizations in 2021, a move widely seen as retaliation for their work to expose corruption among Russia's elites.
Pevchikh holds dual Russian-British citizenship and resides in the United Kingdom.
Many Navalny associates have fled Russia under threat of imprisonment amid a widening wartime crackdown on dissent.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
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 every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
