Ally Jailed Kremlin Critic Navalny Flees Russia

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – Lyubov Sobol, a prominent ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, has fled Russia, Russian media reported late Sunday.

Sobol left after being sentenced to parole-like restrictions amid a crackdown on the opposition, Russia’s RT and REN TV channels reported.

Both networks cited unidentified sources.

Russian media said the 33-year-old flew to Turkey on Saturday evening.

Sobol could not be reached for comment. Her aids declined to speak on her behalf.

She is one of the most well-known faces of Navalny’s entourage. The lawyer had stayed behind in Moscow as other close political allies fled, fearing prosecution ahead of September’s parliamentary elections.

The lawyer faced charges, police detentions, and court convictions.

She is among Russia’s youngest and most prominent opposition leaders.

Earlier this month, a court ordered the young woman who had been Alexei Navalny’s No. 2 to serve 18 months of house arrest over what authorities called a “sanitary case.”

She was accused of breaching COVID-19 restrictions by urging opposition activists to join a peaceful protest against President Vladimir Putin to support the imprisoned Navalny back in January.

Navalny, one of the most outspoken Kremlin critics, was sentenced in February to more than 2 1/2 years imprisonment after he allegedly violated the terms of his probation while recovering in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning.

The jail term is linked to a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has denied. He and supporters say the charges are politically motivated.

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