Russia Issues New Warrant for Arrest of Oleg Navalny, Brother of Deceased Opposition Leader
The Russian Ministry of the Interior has announced that it has issued a new warrant for the search and capture of Oleg Navalny, the brother of the late Russian opposition leader, who passed away last Friday while in an Arctic prison. The warrant, which was issued on Tuesday, did not specify the charges against Oleg Navalny.
According to a police source speaking to the Russian agency TASS, a new criminal case has been opened against Oleg Navalny, although details of the case were not provided. This is not the first time that Oleg has been in trouble with the law – he was previously declared wanted in January 2022 for allegedly breaching the terms of his probation by participating in opposition demonstrations in support of his brother, Alexei Navalny, despite pandemic-related bans imposed by the authorities.
At present, Oleg Navalny is outside of Russia. In addition to the current criminal case, Oleg was also sentenced in 2014 to three and a half years of probation, along with his brother, following accusations of defrauding the Yves Rocher cosmetics company.
The situation surrounding the Navalny family has been the subject of international attention, particularly after Alexei Navalny was imprisoned for failing to comply with the terms of his probation and not informing the authorities of his location during his time in Germany following a poisoning incident. This ultimately led to a 19-year prison sentence, and Navalny was transferred to a prison in the Russian Arctic region, where he died last Friday.
The cause of Navalny’s death is still unknown, with the Kremlin asserting that it is unaware of the exact reasons. However, Navalny’s widow has directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being responsible for her husband’s death and has called for international condemnation.
The case continues to provoke controversy and draw attention to the Russian government’s treatment of opposition figures and their families.
EFE