Navalny marks year after poisoning with anti-corruption call

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has marked the anniversary of a poisoning attack against him by urging global leaders to focus on combating corruption and to target tycoons close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an article published in three European newspapers, Navalny chided Western leaders for relegating the fight against corruption to a “secondary agenda” item. Western nations, meanwhile, also took note of Friday’s anniversary. The United States and Britain announced sanctions against Russian officers and labs accused of involvement in Navalny’s poisoning with a nerve agent on Aug. 20, 2020. Putin strongly rejected criticism of the prison sentence the Kremlin’s most outspoken foe is serving.