Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny defied the chance when he survived an assassination attempt orchestrated by the Russian FSB espionage agency late last year. Navalny fell into a coma after being poisoned with nerve agent novichok and nearly dying. But after receiving treatment in Berlin, he defied the expectations of President Vladimir Putin by returning directly to Moscow, where he was immediately detained and executed for an alleged violation of the parole.
Moscow correspondent Andrew Roth was in the courtroom when Navalny was sentenced to more than three years in prison. He tells Rachel Humphreys why it was such a dramatic moment – and what it could mean for the future of Russia’s opposition.
Archive: AFP, CNN, Radio Free Europe, Ruptly, Rappier, Bloomberg, Euronews, Chicken Curry Chicken Curry, Alexei Naval, VOA, Global News, News Update, @neurolera
Photo: Simonovsky District Court / Reuters
Support the guardian
The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work.
Support The Guardian