expects a court to extend his prison sentence by nearly two decades on Friday, August 4, in a criminal case which he and his supporters say was trumped up to keep him behind bars and out of politics for even longer.
In a message posted on social media on Thursday, August 3, Navalny said the outcome could be slightly less, around 18 years, but it didn’t really matter because he was also threatened with terrorism charges that could bring another decade. The charges relate to his role in his now defunct movement inside Russia, which the authorities said had been trying to foment a revolution by seeking to destabilise the socio-political situation.In his closing statement last month, delivered behind closed doors at the IK-6 penal colony in Melekhovo, about 235 km east of Moscow where he is serving his sentences, Navalny explained why he would keep opposing the Russian authorities.
In February, Putin ordered the FSB security service to raise its game and said it was necessary “to identify and stop the illegal activities of those who are trying to divide and weaken our society.”