Kremlin foe Navalny’s lawyers to remain in detention at least through mid-March, Russian court rules

By DASHA LITVINOVA
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Moscow court has extended the pre-trial detention of three lawyers who once represented imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. They were arrested in October on charges of participating in an extremist group, a case widely seen as a means to ramp up pressure on the politician. The Basmanny District Court ruled on Thursday that Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser will remain behind bars at least until March 13. Both Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a vast network of regional offices were outlawed as extremist organizations in 2021. The case against Navalny’s lawyers is part of unrelenting crackdown the Kremlin has unleashed against dissent in recent years.