Russian opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny expects a court to extend his prison sentence by nearly two decades on Friday (August 4) in a criminal case he claims was fabricated to keep him behind bars and out of politics for even longer according to Reuters. Navalny, 47, is already serving a total of 11.5 years in prison for fraud and other counts he claims are false. On July 20, Russian prosecutors proposed a 20-year prison sentence for Navalny, prompting the European Union to penalize the head of the Russian prison camp holding Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. As Navalny awaits his destiny, let’s take a look at who he is and how he got here.
Who is Alexei Navalny?
Alexei Navalny, a former lawyer, rose to notoriety after he began publishing blogs that he claimed exposed widespread corruption in Russia. According to Navalny, the country is run by criminals and robbers. Navalny and his colleagues have mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin and created slick videos to expose the country’s elite’s luxurious lifestyles. The 47-year-old has predicted that Russia would experience seismic political upheaval, possibly revolution since he believes President Putin has established a system of personal power based on sycophancy and corruption.
Navalny participated in Russian nationalist marches and expressed anti-immigrant sentiments in the 2000s. When anti-Putin protests erupted in late 2011, Navalny was among the first to be detained. He stood for mayor of Moscow two years later and received 27% of the vote. However, he has been prevented from standing for office for numerous reasons since then. In a 2011 interview with Reuters, Navalny stated that corruption is the cornerstone of modern Russia, adding, “It is the foundation of Mr. Putin’s political power.”
The rejection and accusation
The Kremlin has denied Navalny’s allegations of corruption and Putin’s wealth. The Kremlin accused him of conspiring with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to destabilize Russia at one point. It also characterized Navalny as an agent of disruption and says he never represented political severe competition. The 47-year-old’s movement is currently illegal, and the majority of his top allies have departed Russia. Navalny has been arrested several times for organizing public rallies and has been charged with corruption, embezzlement, and fraud. He claims that the accusations and convictions are politically motivated.
Poisonings have occurred
Navalny became unwell during a journey from Siberia to Moscow in August 2020. Navalny was transported to Berlin for treatment of the symptoms of a neurotoxic after an emergency landing. This neurotoxin was identified as Novichok, a poison manufactured in the Soviet Union, by lab tests in three nations. A combined media investigation, according to Reuters, uncovered a team of assassins from Russia’s FSB security force. Impersonating a Russian official, Navalny called one of the operatives, who divulged the details of the plot, including that the poison was spread on Navalny’s trousers. Dismissing the investigation, Putin said, “If someone had wanted to poison him, they would have finished him off.”
Alexei Navalny’s prison sentence was extended
According to Reuters, Russian prosecutors have asked additional 20 years in a penitentiary colony for Navalny on six separate criminal accusations, including encouraging and financing extremist conduct and founding an extremist organization. The verdict is expected on Friday. Navalny indicated in a social media posting on Thursday that the outcome (of the prison sentence) could be slightly less, at roughly 18 years. “It’s going to be a long sentence. What is called ‘Stalinist’,” said Navalny, who can post on social media via his supporters and lawyers. Last month, the Kremlin critic said that he would keep opposing Russian authorities. “For a new, free, rich country to be born, it must have parents. Those who want it. Who expects it and who are willing to make sacrifices for its birth,” he said, according to a text supplied by his aides.
Concerning the Ukraine conflict
Alexei Navalny has also criticized the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, calling it a “stupid war” instigated by Putin and claiming that the fight is based on lies. “One madman has got his claws into Ukraine and I do not know what he wants to do with it – this crazy thief,” Navalny said in a court hearing in 2022. Navalny proclaimed the launch of a new mass campaign against Putin and the Ukraine war on June 19, this year. “We will conduct an election campaign against war. And against Putin. Just that. A long, stubborn, exhausting but fundamentally important campaign where we will turn people against the war,” he said.