by Sarah Hurst Acclaimed Russian film director and screenwriter Andrei Zvyagintsev has made an appeal for Alexei Navalny to be allowed into the presidential election on March 18. This is the text of his video comments: “I’ve just realised that I’m recording an appeal, but I don’t know […]
by Sarah Hurst Alexei Navalny was brought to a Moscow court in handcuffs for his appeal against his 20-day prison sentence today, surrounded by uniformed guards. A crowd of journalists tried to get into the courtroom, but only one or two were allowed in. The courtroom was already […]
by Sarah Hurst Well-known liberal political scientist and Dozhd TV presenter Stanislav Belkovsky has told the channel that authorities searched his home in Moscow “in connection with the YUKOS case” this morning. The search was one of many being carried out today that target employees and supporters of […]
by Sarah Hurst Unexpectedly, Alexei Navalny’s campaign chief Leonid Volkov was released from prison this morning, a few days into his 20-day sentence. Volkov was sentenced along with Navalny for “calling for unauthorised rallies” and had announced a hunger strike. There was speculation on social media that the […]
by Sarah Hurst Early this morning teams of Spetsnaz officers in riot helmets burst into the homes and offices of employees and of Open Russia and their relatives and the home of Nikolai Levshits, one of the leaders of Alexei Navalny’s election campaign. To ensure that the whole […]
by Sarah Hurst Today the Moscow city court reduced the sentence of Andrei Kosykh, who participated in Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption protest of March 26 in Moscow, from four years in prison to three years and eight months. Kosykh, a 30-year-old freight handler who had dreamed of becoming a […]
Navalny vs. Putin 