Russia has ordered diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden who claimed to have taken part in Navalny’s nationwide protests to leave the country “shortly” after declaring them “persona non grata”. The Kremlin Foreign Ministry said on 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 an assassination attempt. intoxication allegedly ordered by President Vladimir Putin last summer.
Tens of thousands of people across Russia protested Navalny’s arrest on January 23rd. Navalny has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on charges that were convicted of doubt by international observers. The opposition leader was back in court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to charges of defaming a World War II Russian veteran who appeared in a video supporting the Kremlin. Navalny referred to the people in the video as “corrupt creatures” and “traitors.”
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