Latest news with #LeonidVolkov
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Russian court sentences Navalny ally to 18 years in absentia as dissident crackdown continues
Courts in Russia have convicted one opposition figure in absentia and placed another under house arrest as Moscow continues its crackdown on dissent. Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison Wednesday after being found guilty on criminal charges.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ex-Navalny aide gets 18-year prison sentence
A Russian court has sentenced a close associate of the late opposition figure Alexey Navalny to 18 years behind bars in absentia. Leonid Volkov was charged with creating an extremist group, rehabilitating Nazism, and funding extremist activities. Volkov joined Navalny in 2013 and fled to the EU in 2019. Two years later, Russia put him on the international wanted list on charges of illegally enticing minors to participate in unauthorized protests. In a statement announcing the sentence, the court also fined Volkov 2 million rubles ($25,000) and banned him from administering any websites for six years. The list of charges includes two counts of 'politically-motivated vandalism' and spreading disinformation about the Russian Armed Forces. Volkov mocked the court's decision in a post on X. He wrote that although the sentence itself was 'harsh,' the fine was miniscule, adding that he was 'not even barred from using the internet' and vowed to make good use of it. He became the head of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) in July 2021, a month after it was designated an extremist group in Russia. In 2022, Volkov was designated a 'foreign agent' and added to Russia's terrorism and extremism watchlist together with Ivan Zhdanov, another Navalny associate, who also resides outside the country. The foreign agent status is reserved for those found to be assisting foreign organizations deemed hostile to Russia's interests, as well as for financing such activity. Navalny died at a penal colony in February 2024 while serving his sentence. He was initially imprisoned in 2021 for violating the terms of an earlier suspended sentence. In 2023, he was given an additional 19 years on multiple extremism-related charges. The Russian authorities have since issued arrest warrants against his close associates, including his widow, on various extremism-related charges. All of them reside outside Russia.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Russian court jails Navalny ally in absentia for 18 years as dissident crackdown continues
Courts in Russia on Friday convicted one opposition figure in absentia and placed another under house arrest as Moscow continues its crackdown on dissent. Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison after being found guilty on criminal charges.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Russian court jails Navalny ally in absentia for 18 years as dissident crackdown continues
Courts in Russia on Friday convicted one opposition figure in absentia and placed another under house arrest as Moscow continues its crackdown on dissent. Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny , was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison after being found guilty on criminal charges.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Russian court jails Navalny ally in absentia for 18 years as dissident crackdown continues
Courts in Russia on Friday convicted one opposition figure in absentia and placed another under house arrest as Moscow continues its crackdown on dissent. Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison after being found guilty on criminal charges. Moscow's Second Western District Military convicted Volkov under 40 counts including justifying terrorism, organizing and financing an extremist group, rehabilitating Nazism, and creating a non-governmental organization that violated citizens' rights, Russian news agencies reported. As well as the prison sentence, Volkov was also fined 2 million rubles (approx. $25,000) and banned from using the internet for 10 years. 'Oh no! They banned me from the internet for 10 years as prosecutors requested, but I've already been using it', Volkov wrote in a tongue-in-cheek social media post after the sentence was released. 'Damn. Whatever am I going to do?" Volkov, who was in charge of Navalny's regional offices and election campaigns, left Russia several years ago under pressure from the authorities. He led Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation between 2021 and 2023, during which time he was placed on the Russian government's list of terrorists and extremists. The case against him is widely seen in Russia as political motivated. Separately, Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Yabloko opposition party, was placed under house arrest Wednesday after being detained on charges of discrediting the Russian army. A court in the city of Pskov, close to Russia's western border, ordered Shlosberg to be detained at home for two months pending investigation and trial, the court's press service said. His case has also been widely viewed as politically motivated. Russian authorities have accused Shlosberg of discrediting the nation's military by calling for a ceasefire in Russia's war with Ukraine. Shlosberg has said that he did not share the social media video or administer the page on which it was posted. If found guilty, he faces up to five years imprisonment. The politician, who has repeatedly criticized Moscow's war, was previously named as a 'foreign agent' by Russian authorities, a loaded term that carries connotations of Soviet-era treachery. Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has clamped down on all forms of dissent, targeting rights groups, independent media and other members of civil-society organizations, LGBTQ+ activists and certain religious affiliations.
