Leonid Volkov, working from his base in Lithuania, has angered Russian authorities by organising anti-Kremlin protests.
Russia has issued an arrest warrant for Leonid Volkov, an in depth ally of Alexey Navalny who has known as on Russians to carry recent protests this weekend demanding the discharge of the Kremlin critic from jail.
Volkov oversees Navalny’s regional headquarters, and has angered the authorities by organising current anti-Kremlin protests from his base in Lithuania.
He’s urging Russians to reveal once more on Sunday in opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s authorities and demand the discharge of Navalny, who was imprisoned final month.
Volkov has known as for smaller-scale Valentine’s Day protests within the wake of mass arrests throughout earlier rallies, saying folks ought to collect close to their houses and shine cell phone torches and lightweight candles in coronary heart shapes, and submit the pictures on social media.
Moscow’s Basmanny Court docket mentioned investigators had requested Volkov’s arrest after he was charged with inciting youngsters to take to the streets.
It mentioned a warrant for his arrest had been issued throughout the Commonwealth of Unbiased States (CIS), a gaggle of former Soviet republics, together with Russia, however not Lithuania.
In Russia, calling on folks underneath 18 to hitch demonstrations can carry a sentence of as much as three years in jail.
The courtroom mentioned Volkov, who left Russia in 2019 after authorities opened a legal case into suspected cash laundering by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Basis, can be held in Russia for 2 months if and when he’s detained or extradited.
Volkov wrote on his Telegram channel that he would proceed working and ignore the arrest warrant.
In a separate improvement on Wednesday, Navalny’s spouse, Yulia Navalnaya, flew to Germany from Russia on Wednesday, the Interfax information company reported, citing a supply.
Navalny himself was flown to Germany final yr after an alleged nerve-agent poisoning he blames on the Kremlin. The Kremlin denies involvement within the August 2020 incident and says it has seen no proof Navalny was poisoned.
The 44-year-old was arrested on January 17 as he returned to Russia from Berlin. He was then jailed on February 2 for nearly three years over alleged parole violations of a suspended sentence linked to a 2014 embezzlement case, which he has mentioned was politically motivated.
Navalny’s imprisonment has led to mass protests in Russia in current weeks and attracted condemnation from the European Union and a number of other Western nations, with calls for added sanctions on Moscow.
The EU’s high diplomat, Josep Borrell, on Tuesday mentioned he would advocate sanctions throughout a gathering of EU ministers later this month. Borrell visited Russia final week for talks with overseas minister Sergey Lavrov.
Moscow has dismissed overseas criticism concerning the Navalny case as exterior interference, accusing the West of hysteria and double requirements.
It has additionally branded the demonstrations in cities and cities throughout Russia as unlawful as a result of they haven’t obtained official approval to go forward, and mentioned such rallies danger spreading COVID-19.
Greater than 11,000 folks have been arrested for collaborating within the demonstrations, in line with protest-monitoring group OVD-Information.