“There has never been a question whether to return or not, never. Just because I didn’t leave. I arrived in Germany after arriving there in an intensive care unit. On Sunday, January 17, I will return home on Pobeda Airline Flight. Meet me, “Navalny wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Russian prison authorities sent a formal request to a court requesting the replacement of his suspended sentence in a year-old case with a real prison sentence.
The Russian Federal Penitentiary Service said that by remaining in Germany, Navalny was violating the terms of his suspended sentence in the so-called Yves Roche case, which Navalny believed was politically motivated.
In a video address posted on his Instagram account, the activist stated that the new criminal cases brought to him in Russia were “demonstratively fabricated” and an attempt to prevent him from returning to his native country.
The anti-corruption activist is currently in Germany, after receiving treatment at the Berlin Charite clinic.
Navalny was poisoned with the Novichok toxin in August and nearly died. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Russia has launched a new charge of fraud and threats of imprisonment against Navalny in late 2020, increasing pressure on him.
This is a breaking story, more to follow.