Alexei Navalny, 47, is already serving more than 30 years in prison, after being convicted of crimes including extremism – charges that his supporters consider politically motivated.
In statements conveyed to his aides, Navalny said he was charged under Article 214 of the Russian Criminal Code, which covers… Vandalism crimes. “I don’t even know whether to describe my latest news as sad, funny or silly,” he wrote in social media comments on Friday via his team, adding: “I have no idea what Section 214 is and nowhere to look at it.” for that. “They’ll know before I do.”
Navalny, who leads a team posting on social media from prison, said the charges were part of the Kremlin’s desire to “bring a new criminal case” against him “every three months.” “Never before has a convict in solitary confinement for more than a year enjoyed such a rich social and political life,” he joked.
Alexei Navalny is one of the most vocal opponents of President Vladimir Putin, and is famous for his campaigns against official corruption and organizing large anti-Kremlin protests.
The former lawyer was arrested in 2021, after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he was recovering from a case of poisoning with a client who attacked the nervous system of which he was a victim and whom he attributed to the Kremlin.
He has since been sentenced to prison three times and faced months of solitary confinement after being accused of several minor offences.
Several of Navalny’s collaborators also faced extremism-related charges after his international anti-corruption fund and a network of regional offices were banned as extremist groups in 2021, a move that exposed almost anyone involved to subsequent legal action.
Recently, a court in the Siberian city of Tomsk arrested Ksenia Fadeeva, who ran Navalny’s office in Tomsk, even before she was tried on extremism charges.
Ksenia Fadeeva was initially placed under house arrest in October, before being placed in pre-trial detention again. If convicted, she could face up to 12 years in prison.
