Navalny moved to high-security prison

Alexey Navalny, Russia’s opposition leader and Putin’s critic, was moved from the Pokrov penitentiary in the Vladimir region, his ally Leonid Volkov cites a lawyer.

It is unknown where Navalny is at the moment. His lawyer came to visit him at the prison today and was told that his client was not present at the facility.

Olga Mikhailova, another Navalny’s lawyer, has told TASS that her client was moved to a maximum security prison after his verdicts over “fraud” and “contempt of court” came into force. “Navalny’s lawyer was told today that Alexey was no longer present at the Pokrov penitentiary; he was moved to a different facility, although we have no information as to which one,” Mikhailova said. Navalny himself said earlier that a special “prison within a prison” was being prepared for him in Melekhovo in the same Vladimir region.

The Moscow City Court rejected Navalny’s appeal against a nine-year prison sentence he is serving for fraud and contempt of court on 24 May.

Navalny was also punished for “offending Vera Akimova, the judge” who held a court session where Navalny was accused of defamation against Ignat Artyomenko, a WW2 veteran. During the session, Navalny threatened to “evict the judge from the courtroom” and addressed her as “a filthy toad” and “an Obersturmbannführer”. He also offended Yekaterina Frolova, the prosecutor, and Igor Kolesnikov, the veteran’s grandson. Navalny was fined 850,000 rubles (€13,500).

Navalny’s “Yves Rocher case” probation was substituted for a 42-month prison term in January 2021. He was imprisoned in the Pokrov penitentiary until now.