Alexei Navalny: Russian opposition leader found, says team
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is alive and being held in a penal colony in Siberia, according to his spokeswoman.
"We found Alexei Navalny," Kira Yarmysh said on 25 December, adding that he was in a penal colony in northern Russia, according to BBC.
His team had had no contact with him since 6 December, after he was moved from a previous prison.
Mr Navalny, considered one of Vladimir Putin's leading opponents, has been imprisoned since 2021.
"His lawyer saw him today. Alexei is fine," Ms Yarmysh wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
She said he had been moved to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, in northern Russia.
Mr Navalny's aide Ivan Zhadov said the colony was one of the "most remote colonies" in Russia, with "harsh" conditions.
He added that Mr Navalny's move demonstrated how "the system deals with political prisoners, trying to isolate and suppress them".
His team had grown increasingly worried after he failed to appear at several court hearings.
Mr Navalny made his name as a campaigner against corruption, gathering millions of views for his video investigations.
A charismatic campaigner, he seemed to be the only Russian opposition leader capable of mobilising people in large numbers across Russia to take part in anti-government protests.
He was treated abroad. On returning to Russia in 2021, he was immediately arrested.
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