Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called on supporters on Monday to launch a broad campaign against Moscow’s actions in Ukraine as he began his trial on new extremism charges that could keep him in prison for decades.
The trial began inside a maximum-security penal colony in Melekhovo, 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow, where Navalny, 47, is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court, charges he says are for political reasons. Shortly after it started, the judge closed the trial despite Navalny’s demand that it be kept open.
show of fear
In a statement posted on social media by his allies, Navalny declared that the decision to close the trial was a show of fear on the part of President Vladimir Putin, and announced the start of a campaign against Moscow’s decision to send soldiers to Ukraine.
Navalny commented that such a campaign must reach millions of people to explain the disastrous impact of the war and “fight Putin’s lies and the Kremlin’s hypocrisy.” He argued that despite the relentless crackdown on dissent, this type of campaign could be carried out effectively through messaging apps outside the control of the authorities.
“Only we can enter this fight for the hearts and minds of our citizens, so we need to do it and win,” Navalny declared.
Navalny, who exposed government corruption and organized mass protests against the Kremlin, was arrested in January 2021, when he returned to Moscow after recovering in Germany from neurotoxin poisoning, an attack for which he blamed the Kremlin.
Wearing an inmate’s uniform, Navalny looked haggard during the session, but spoke emphatically about the fragility of the state’s case.
Navalny has said the new extremism charges, which he called “absurd”, could keep him in prison for another 30 years. He said an investigator told him he too could face a military trial on terrorism charges that could lead to spending the rest of his life behind bars.