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A Russian court has sentenced Alexei Navalny, the outspoken critic of the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, to nine years in a "strict regime penal colony", or a maximum security prison, at a time when the Kremlin is cracking down heavily on any platforms which contradict the state. He is already serving three and a half years in jail for breaking bail conditions while in hospital. A judge has now found him guilty of fraud and contempt of court. Amnesty International has labeled the trial a sham.

Andrius Kubilius, a member of the European Parliament and former Prime Minister of Lithuania, says this is a "painful and tragic development," and that this not only represents the censorship of Navalny but that Putin is attempting to shut down all channels of protest, as social media platforms are under threat, and any individual protesting against the war. However, he believes that the Ukrainian war is "unwinnable" by Putin, and that losing the war could lead to the development of a "new Russia, a Russia without Putin", with a role for Navalny, and that change could come to Russia in a "rapid and very dramatic way".

"There is no justice in a Russia led by the autocratic Putin regime. It is very clear Putin is afraid of Navalny."

Photo: Alexei Navalny with one of his lawyers, Olga Mikhailova, on a screen via a video link during a court hearing, March 22 2022 Credit: Reuters

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