Alexei Navalny’s trial for extremism began with the imprisoned opposition leader urging supporters to further complicate Vladimir Putin’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine.
The 47-year-old activist faces 30 years in prison if convicted in a case that a judge ruled Monday would take place without media in the courtroom. That hearing is being held in a prison colony 150 miles east of Moscow, where Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence on fraud and contempt charges he says are politically motivated.
Outside the courtroom, he widened his attacks on Putin Monday, when allies on social media urged supporters to use messaging apps the government can’t control to “combat Putin’s lies” regarding Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Navalny’s hopes more Russians can be turned against Putin’s rule despite the government’s crackdown on dissent.
“No one but us could enter this fight for our citizens’ hearts and minds, so we need to do it and win,” he said through his surrogates online.
Navalny’s social media messaging also claimed his trial in the Melekhovo penal colony is essentially being blacked out because Putin fears how it might be perceived. His parents followed the hearing through a video feed.
He appeared gaunt and was wearing a prison uniform while making his case to the court Monday. Navalny called the charges against him “absurd.”
According to the imprisoned activist, he’s been told the terrorism charges being considered could carry a life sentence. Navalny was arrested in January 2021 after surviving a poisoning that led to his hospitalization in Germany. He believes the Kremlin tried to kill him.
Navalny — a thorn in Putin’s side for over a decade — was barred from challenging the Russian leader in the 2018 presidential election. The next election is in 2024.