A Russian court orders the arrest of opposition leader Navalny’s widow, who lives abroad

A court in Russia ordered the arrest of the widow of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny during a hearing Tuesday that was held in absentia as part of a broad Kremlin repression about the opposition.

Yulia Navalnaya, who lives abroad, would face arrest if she returns to Russia.

Moscow’s Basmanny District Court decided to arrest Navalnaya on charges of alleged involvement in an extremist group.

Navalny, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest political enemy, died in February in an Arctic penal colony while serving a sentence. 19-year sentence on extremism charges which he had condemned for being politically motivated. Authorities said he became ill after a hike, but did not provide details about Navalny’s death.

Navalny was jailed after returning to Moscow in January 2021 from Germany, where he was recovering from a 2020 nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Navalnaya accused Putin of her husband’s death and vowed to continue her activities. Russian officials have vehemently denied her involvement in Navalny’s poisoning and death.

Navalnaya mocked the court’s order on social media platform X, saying it is Putin who should be prosecuted. Her spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, described the court’s ruling as a recognition of her “merits.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted in X that Navalnaya continues her husband’s legacy and denounced the Moscow court’s ruling as “an arrest warrant against the desire for freedom and democracy.”

Russian authorities have not specified charges against Navalnaya. They appear to be linked to authorities designating Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation as an extremist organization. The 2021 court ruling banning Navalny’s group forced his close associates and team members to leave Russia.

Several journalists have been jailed on similar charges in recent months in connection with their coverage of Navalny.

The Kremlin’s crackdown on opposition activists, independent journalists and ordinary Russians who criticize it has intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.