MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for exiled opposition leader and wife of the late Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, accusing him of participating in an “extremist organisation”.
The warrant follows Russia’s crackdown on dissenting voices and organizations critical of President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The court, known for its swift and controversial rulings, approved the request by investigators and ordered Navalnaya’s detention for a period of two months as a preventive measure. This move marks the latest in a series of actions targeting individuals associated with Alexei Navalny, Putin’s prominent critic who died earlier this year under contentious circumstances while serving a prison sentence.
Navalnaya, an economist by profession, has defiantly continued her husband’s legacy of opposition to the Kremlin. She has condemned the arrest warrant as a politically motivated attack, declaring, “Vladimir Putin is a killer and a war criminal. He belongs in prison.”
Reacting to the court’s decision, Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s former chief of staff, criticized the allegations against Navalnaya, emphasizing her commitment to continuing Alexei Navalny’s fight for democracy in Russia. “Yulia was arrested (in absentia!) for ‘being a member of an extremist community’ by the infamous Basmanny court of Moscow,” Volkov stated.
The organizations founded by Alexei Navalny have been outlawed in Russia and labeled as “extremist,” effectively shutting down their operations and restricting their ability to operate freely. Navalnaya has persistently campaigned against Putin’s government from abroad.
Throughout Alexei Navalny’s struggles, Navalnaya stood steadfastly by his side, supporting his efforts to galvanize mass protests across Russia and accompanying him even in times of grave danger, such as when he was poisoned in 2020.
Following Navalny’s tragic death earlier this year, Navalnaya vowed to continue his work, mobilizing support and urging Russians to protest against Putin’s government during the recent elections in March.
