On Thursday, a Russian court denied requests to free detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a key figure in Russia’s opposition movement who was recently released from a German hospital after being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. Authorities also extended their crackdown on Navalny’s inner circle, arresting his brother Oleg, his lawyer Lyubov Sobol, his assistant Ilya Pakhomov, and an affiliated leader Anastasia Vasilieva.
Russia witnessed an increase in demonstrations last weekend consisting of 100,000 people protesting in the streets. The Kremlin is planning to maintain pressure on the opposition movement ahead of more planned protests this weekend. Navalny’s lawyers were seeking his release from jail after 12 days in prison. Navalny was arrested immediately upon his return from Germany.
Read More: Alexei Navalny’s Request to Leave Jail Denied by Russian Court Ahead of Protests
