Russia filed new criminal proceedings against Navalny’s top allies

Moscow – Russian authorities have filed new criminal proceedings against the two closest allies of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. This is the latest in a series of moves to oppress a team that is already confused.

On Tuesday, the investigative commission announced an investigation into Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov for raising funds for a group of militants. The prosecution can be sentenced to up to eight years in prison.

In June, a court outlawed Navalny’s network of anti-corruption foundations and his regional offices as an extremist organization. This designation prohibited people associated with the group from taking public office and exposed them to long sentences.

The Foundation suspended its crowdfunding efforts shortly before a court ruling to mitigate the risks of its supporters. But last week, Navalny’s team announced that it would bypass the Russian banking system and resume financing through the use of encrypted transactions that would allow donors to remain anonymous.

Russian authorities immediately blocked the funding website launched by Navalny’s team. The investigative commission has launched a criminal investigation, claiming that Volkov and Zhdanov are trying to continue the “illegal activity” of illegal organizations.

The two Navalny allies have been the targets of numerous criminal investigations in recent years and have left Russia.

Both responded ironically to the news on Tuesday. “Friend, that’s a real problem. I lost the number of criminal cases initiated against me. I violated my right to vote, avoided the army (conscription), and did not obey the court’s ruling. , Hiding money, stealing money, laundering money. What else? ”Zhdanov wrote on Instagram.

Volkov reiterated his feelings in a Facebook post, stating: “Criminal case”, calmly continue the meeting and check the message. This is certainly a new criminal case. “

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most ardent political opponent, Navalny, was arrested in January when he returned from Germany and recovered from a nerve gas addiction accusing the Kremlin for five months.

In February, Navalny was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the suspended sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction dismissed for political motives.

His arrest and imprisonment created a large wave of protests that seemed to pose a major challenge to the Kremlin. Authorities responded with mass arrests of demonstrators and criminal charges of Navalny’s closest companion.

Many have since left Russia, while others have been placed under house arrest or other restrictions that prevent them from engaging in political activities.

After labeling the Navalny Foundation and local office militants, Russian authorities blocked about 50 websites run by his team or supporters for spreading the promotion of the militant group.

Navalny’s allies have linked the tightened crackdown to Russia’s next parliamentary elections. The September 19 vote is widely seen as an important part of Putin’s efforts to consolidate his control before the country’s 2024 presidential election.

A 68-year-old Russian leader who has been in power for more than 20 years could have been able to stay in power until 2036 by pushing for constitutional amendment last year.

As the vote approaches, Russian opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists are facing increasing government pressure. Russian authorities have declared some independent media and reporters as “foreign agents.” This means additional government oversight and has strong derogatory implications that can damage the credibility of the recipient.