Russia officially names jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a terrorist
Russian authorities have officially dubbed jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and some of his top allies “terrorists and extremists” — the latest public display of the Kremlin’s crackdown on political dissent.
Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, top aides Lyubov Sobol and Georgy Alburov and six others appeared on the registry, which is maintained by Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service. Those citizens Russian authorities believe are involved in activities that support “terrorist or extremist” organizations land on the list and lose access to their bank accounts and assets.
On Wednesday, Moscow police launched a series of raids on homes belonging to Navalny’s family and loved ones. They also issued an arrest warrant for his 38-year-old brother, Oleg Navalny, without providing further details.
The actions against Navalny’s supporters come just more than a year after his arrest, which triggered a wave of mass protests nationwide. The Kremlin critic was taken into custody in January 2021, upon his return from Germany where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning he and his followers have blamed on Putin and his government.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.
The month after his arrest, a Russian court sentenced 45-year-old Navalny to more than two years in jail for parole violation — a charge he has long maintained were politically motivated.
With News Wire Services
