Russian authorities on Monday sentenced an ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to nine years in prison for "participating in an extremist organization," Navalny's team announced on Telegram.
Vadim Ostanin was head of Navalny's office in the Siberian city of Barnaul and was detained in December 2021. He was also charged with belonging to a nonprofit that "infringes on citizens' rights."
According to Navalny's team, Ostanin had carried out "legal political work."
Ostanin's conviction is part of a wider crackdown on political opposition in Russia. This has intensified since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
As Russian authorities continue to go after Putin's critics, many of Navalny's political allies have either fled into exile or been arrested. Moscow banned Navalny's political organizations in 2021.
Navalny is currently incarcerated in a maximum security prison outside Moscow on several charges, including fraud and contempt of court. Last week, prosecutors requested an additional 20-year termon "extremism" charges.
Read more here.
