Russia opens new criminal case against top allies of Alexei Navalny

Two closest supporters of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been charged in a new criminal case by Russian authorities, the latest in a series of measures to suffocate his already beleaguered team. On Tuesday, the Investigative Committee announced that Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov are being investigated for allegedly generating finances for extremist groups. The charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to eight years.

Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of his regional offices were declared extremist organisations by a court in June. People linked with Navalny's Foundation were forbidden from running for public office and faced severe prison sentences due to the categorization.

To protect its supporters, the charity halted its crowdfunding activities just before the court verdict. On the other hand, Navalny's team declared last week that it will resume fundraising using encrypted transactions that bypass the Russian banking system and allow donors to stay anonymous. Russian authorities swiftly shut down the fundraising website set up by Navalny's team. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation, claiming that Volkov and Zhdanov wanted to continue the outlawed organisations' "illegal operations." 

On Tuesday, both reacted cynically to the news. “Friends, we have a serious problem. I've lost track of how many criminal cases have been filed against me. I violated voting rights, skipped the army (draught), disobeyed court orders, concealed money, stole money, laundered money, and who knows what else? ” wrote Zhdanov on Instagram. While, Volkov echoed his sentiment, in a Facebook post saying, "Politics in Russia in 2021 is when you’re in a meeting, your phone starts to blow up from push notifications, questions and calls, you casually think: ‘Oh, probably a new criminal case,’ calmly continue the meeting, then check your messages and it is indeed a new criminal case."

In February, Navalny was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for breaking the terms of a suspended sentence stemming from an embezzlement conviction in 2014. His detention and imprisonment provoked a wave of massive protests that represented a severe threat to the Kremlin. Authorities retaliated by arresting a large number of demonstrators and pursuing criminal charges against Navalny's closest friends.

(Inputs from AP News)

Image Credit: AP