EU sanctions eight Russians linked to Navalny poisoning

The European Union said that it was sanctioning eight Russians who have links to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The new sanctions targeted Russia’s security forces and Russian chemical weapons experts.

The bloc issued a statement Monday announcing that it will be sanctioning eight Russians connected to the poisoning of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok-type nerve agent during a campaign trip in Siberia back in 2020, according to an assessment by European medical institutions. The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalny’s poisoning.

The sanctions by the EU targeted high-ranking members of the Russian FSB intelligence service as well as chemical weapons experts. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes.

“As concerns the Navalny case, the new listings include operatives and high-ranking officials of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and Russian chemical weapons experts,” said the statement.

Navalny, a long-time vocal critic of Vladimir Putin, was arrested in Russia at the beginning of 2021 after receiving medical treatment in Germany. Navalny is currently serving an 11-12-year prison sentence on charges of fraud, contempt of court, and parole violations. Navalny dismissed the charges he says were attempts to silence him.

Back in October, Navalny said Russian authorities are opening a new case against him on charges of promoting terrorism and extremism, which would double his current prison sentence.

“I am a genius of the underworld. Professor Moriarty is no match for me,” tweeted Navalny. “You all thought I had been isolated in prison for two years, but it turns out I was actively committing crimes. Luckily, the Investigative Committee was vigilant and didn’t miss a thing.”

Navalny said his lawyers have estimated that the opposition leader may face a prison sentence of around 30 years. Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said the new case was related to a Youtube channel called “Popular Politics” that was set up by Navalny’s allies after he was already in prison for a year.

The Kremlin has sought to clamp down on domestic opposition following its invasion of Ukraine back in February. Navalny has also condemned the war, ripped into Putin during a court appearance and described the invasion as “stupid” and “built on lies.”