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Navalny Ally Volkov Sentenced in Absentia to 18 Years by Russian Military Court

The ruling highlights the Kremlin’s ongoing use of legal measures to target dissent long after Navalny’s death.

Lev Schlosberg, prominent opposition figure and deputy chairman of the Yabloko party, attends a meeting of the party's political committee in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 24, 2023. (AP Photo)
FILE - Leonid Volkov, chief of staff for the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny watches a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Dec. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
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Leonid Volkov lives in exile in Lithuania

Overview

  • A Moscow military court convicted Volkov on charges including spreading false information about the Ukraine conflict and justifying terrorism, handing him an 18-year term in a penal colony.
  • The verdict imposes a 2-million-rouble fine and curtails his online activity with a 10-year internet ban.
  • Volkov has lived in exile in Lithuania since leaving Russia in 2019 and has been on the country’s wanted list since 2021.
  • His sentencing follows earlier convictions of Navalny’s associates, including lawyers and journalists, under Russia’s expanded extremism and censorship laws.
  • Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation was banned as extremist in 2021 and Russia intensified its suppression of opposition after launching its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.