Ksenia V. Fadeyeva, an ally of the jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, was sentenced on Friday to nine years in a penal colony by a court in Siberia. This was due to her role in running an extremist organization, according to her legal team. This case demonstrates the Kremlin’s determination to continue cracking down on members of Mr. Navalny’s political group, even after it was banned in Russia.
In 2020, Fadeyeva won a seat in the municipal parliament in Tomsk while serving as the coordinator of Navalny’s political office in the region. Aleksei Navalny is currently serving a 19-year sentence in a remote penal colony in the Russian Arctic, after being transferred from a central Russia prison. His political organization was designated as “extremist” by the Moscow City Court in June 2021, effectively banning it. Other coordinators of Mr. Navalny’s offices have also received lengthy prison sentences on extremism charges.
Semyon Vodnev, one of Ms. Fadeyeva’s lawyers, stated that her trial “had nothing to do with justice” and that they would appeal the verdict. Her supporters have denounced the sentence as illegal, baseless, and unjust. The crackdown on Navalny’s allies comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West following the invasion of Ukraine.
This is part of a broader trend of Russian authorities targeting individuals with ties to Navalny. Several others with connections to the opposition leader have either received prison sentences or been forced to flee the country. The harsh sentencing of Fadeyeva and other Navalny allies suggests that the Kremlin is committed to silencing dissent and punishing those who are perceived as a threat to President Vladimir V. Putin’s regime. This article aims to create awareness about the harsh crackdown on political opposition in Russia and the unjust sentencing of Navalny’s allies.
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