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Moscow Court Finds Arrest Warrant For Navalny Associate Lawful


Leonid Volkov (file photo)
Leonid Volkov (file photo)

The Moscow City Court has upheld an arrest warrant issued by a lower court last month for Leonid Volkov, a close associate of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.

The warrant for Volkov, the head of the network of Navalny's teams across Russia, was issued on February 10 at the request of the Investigative Committee.

Volkov, who is currently based in Lithuania, is accused of calling on minors to take part in unsanctioned mass rallies in late January.

Navalny, 44, Putin's top critic, was arrested on January 17 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for a nerve-agent poisoning that he says was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which the Kremlin has denied.

The detention sparked outrage across the country and much of the West, with tens of thousands of Russians taking to the streets in rallies on January 23 and 31.

Police cracked down harshly on the demonstrations, putting many of Navalny's allies behind bars, and then detaining thousands more -- sometimes violently -- as they gathered on the streets.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS

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