On July 11, 2024, Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) added Yulia Navalnaya, widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, to its list of ‘terrorists and extremists’. This action follows a Moscow court’s July 9 arrest warrant for Navalnaya on charges of participating in an extremist group. Navalnaya, who lives abroad, faces potential arrest if she returns to Russia and restrictions on her financial transactions.The designation allows Rosfinmonitoring to freeze Navalnaya’s bank accounts without a court order. If found guilty of being a member of an extremist group, she could face between two and six years in prison and a fine of up to 600,000 rubles (approximately 6,200 euros).This move is seen as part of a broader crackdown on opposition figures in Russia. Hundreds have faced criminal charges, and thousands have been fined or jailed for protesting against the war in Ukraine. The organizations associated with Navalny were classified as ‘extremist’ and banned in 2021.Navalnaya’s spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, commented on the designation, stating, ‘If they are so fussy it means that Yulia does everything right’. Navalnaya has vowed to continue her husband’s work and has been critical of the Russian government on social media.Alexei Navalny died in February 2024 in an Arctic penal colony while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges, which his supporters have condemned as politically motivated. The repression in Russia has led to most prominent opponents being imprisoned or forced to flee the country.
Key points
- Russia has added Yulia Navalnaya to its list of ‘terrorists and extremists’.
- This designation allows for freezing of Navalnaya’s assets and potential imprisonment if she returns to Russia.
- The move is part of a broader crackdown on opposition figures in Russia.
Contradictions👾Some sources report different prison sentence lengths for Alexei Navalny, ranging from 3.
5 years to 19 years.
This discrepancy likely reflects multiple sentences or updates to his sentence over time.
