Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accused of fraud and contempt of court, is seen on a screen via a video link during a court hearing at the IK-2 corrective penal colony in the town of Pokrov in Vladimir Region, Russia March 22, 2022. Navalny is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

March 22 (Reuters) - A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to nine years in prison on fraud charges, in a ruling that will keep President Vladimir Putin's most prominent opponent out of active politics for years ahead.

Navalny, who was also found guilty of contempt of court, is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions. read more

Navalny, who the court also fined 1.2 million roubles ($11,535), has dismissed the latest criminal case against him as politically motivated and pleaded not guilty.

Source: Reuters

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