Yulia Navalnaya: Arrest warrant in Russia against widow of Alexei Navalny

A court in Russia has issued an arrest warrant for the exiled widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny on charges of involvement in an “extremist organization.” Yulia Navalnaya evaded the preliminary investigation, the press service of the Moscow courts said on Tuesday in the online service Telegram. She was therefore put on the wanted list. The court stated that it had “agreed with the investigators’ request and decided on a preventive measure in the form of two months’ detention.”

If found guilty, Navalnaya faces a fine of 300,000 to 600,000 rubles (around 3,160 to 6,318 euros) or forced labor for one to four years or a prison sentence of two to six years, writes the Russian news agency . Navalnaya responded on the online service X and wrote: “Vladimir Putin is a murderer and a war criminal. His place is in prison.”

Yulia Navalnaya wants to continue the work of her late husband Alexei Navalny

Navalny was the main opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He died in February in a penal camp in the Arctic. His widow Navalnaya had announced that she would continue her husband’s work.

A confidant of Navalny, Leonid Volkov, reacted to the arrest warrant with irony on Tuesday: “A beautiful recognition of Yulia’s determination to continue Alexei’s fight,” Volkov wrote on the online service X.

Almost all of Russia’s major opposition figures are either behind bars or in exile. Thousands of ordinary Russian citizens have also been arrested for protesting or criticizing the offensive in Ukraine, and many have been sentenced to severe penalties.

Note: This article has been updated to include additional information.