Russian court orders arrest of Yulia Navalnaya

A court in Moscow has issued an arrest warrant for the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on charges of extremism, according to state media.

The charges brought against Yulia Navalnaya, who lives outside Russia, in absentia are to do with her alleged “participation in an extremist society”, Tass news agency said.

They may be linked to a Moscow court ruling in June 2021 which outlawed three organisations linked to Mr Navalny, labelling them “extremists”.

The opposition leader – Russia’s most significant for the past decade – died in an Arctic Circle jail, according to Russian authorities. Mr Navalny had been serving 19 years on extremism charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.

The Moscow court ruled that Ms Navalnaya, who has vowed to continue the work of her husband, should be remanded in custody and she was declared wanted.

The decision means she would face arrest if she set foot in Russia.