Russian Authorities Target Ally Of Kremlin Foe Navalny Before Jail Appeal

A Russian court on Thursday rejected opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s appeal against his arrest while authorities detained several of his allies and issued warnings to social media companies after tens of thousands swarmed the streets in over 100 Russian cities last weekend demanding his release.

Speaking to court via video link from jail, Navalny denounced criminal proceedings against him as part of the government’s efforts to intimidate the opposition.

“You won’t succeed in scaring tens of millions of people who have been robbed by that government,” he said.