A Russian court sentenced Alexei Navalny to nine years in a high-security prison Tuesday, imposing a new punishment on the imprisoned opposition leader at a time when the war in Ukraine has made him even more of a liability for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prosecutors had claimed that Navalny, a relentless critic and frequent target of Putin, and Navalny¡¯s Anti-Corruption Foundation ¡ª which the Russian authorities banned as extremist last year ¡ª had embezzled donations from supporters.
¡°Navalny committed fraud, that is, the theft of other people¡¯s property through deceit and breach of trust,¡± the judge, Margarita Kotova, said in reading her verdict, according to the news agency Interfax.
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