Russia has ordered diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden, who it says have taken part in national protests in Navalny, to leave the country “shortly” after being declared a “persona non grata”. The Kremlin’s foreign ministry said Friday that foreign officials had taken part in demonstrations calling on the government to release opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was arrested on his return to Russia after a poisoning attempt ordered by President Vladimir Putin in the summer. past.
Tens of thousands of people across Russia protested Navalny’s arrest on January 23. Navalny has since been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on charges that have been condemned as dubious by international observers. The opposition leader was in court again on Friday and pleaded not guilty to defaming a Russian World War II veteran who was featured in a video in support of the Kremlin. Navalny referred to the people in the video as “corrupt pagans” and “traitors.”
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