Mr. Navalny was found responsible for starting and supporting an extremist group and its operations. He rejects the accusations.
His nine-year sentence for parole violations, fraud, and contempt of court is already complete. Many people believe that the accusations are politically motivated.
Mr. Navalny has been imprisoned since 2021 and has been living in a far-off correctional colony.
The most outspoken critic of the Kremlin used a hall inside Prison Colony No. 6 in Melekhovo, 240 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow, as a makeshift courtroom. The discussions took place behind closed doors.
According to Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, he will serve his sentence in a maximum security facility.
Mr. Navalny had faced a 20-year prison sentence from Russian official prosecutors, to be served in an even more repressive “special regime colony.” These incarcerations are often only used for the most violent criminals in Russia.
Before the verdict, Mr. Navalny expressed his expectation that he would receive a “Stalinist” prison sentence meant to intimidate other potential dissidents.
On paper, the case is being heard in a court in Moscow. Yet, it appears that the Russian authorities intended to avoid the publicity that would unavoidably accompany the transport of Mr. Navalny to the Russian capital, as indicated by the choice to hold a remote trial in a prison.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Navalny made his farewell statement, but there was no audio or video recording of it. Nonetheless, the speech’s content, which criticized the Russian government and the war in Ukraine, was made available to the public. It was read aloud and distributed online by his followers, which included exiled Russian actors and singers.
By Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor & Ece Goksedef
On June 22, 2023, Mr. Navalny appears on a screen during court proceedings in Moscow through a video link from his prison colony.
Moreover, Mr. Navalny might be charged. He claims that investigators have informed him to prepare for a new terrorism trial.
Mr. Navalny worked for more than ten years to expose the corruption at the center of Russian power. Tens of millions of people have watched his investigative videos online.
He was a charismatic campaigner who appeared to be the only opposition figure in Russia capable of organizing big crowds to participate in anti-government demonstrations.
He was nonetheless poisoned in Siberia in 2020 by a substance that Western laboratories later determined to be a nerve agent.
Further reports from the investigative website Bellingcat and the Russian news website The Insider implicated many FSB agents in the assault.
Despite being warned that he would be arrested, Mr. Navalny returned to Russia in 2021 after healing from the attack. As soon as he landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, he was detained.
Alexei Navalny was filmed by the BBC saying goodbye to his wife and then being led away by authorities
