Top ally announces closing Navalny's offices amid crackdown

A top ally of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says the network of the politicians' offices in Russia is being closed as authorities seek to have it and Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption outlawed as extremist groups

MOSCOW -- A top ally of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Thursday that the network of the politician's offices in Russia is being closed as authorities seek to have it and Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption outlawed as extremist groups. The Moscow prosecutor's office petitioned a court this month to declare both the regional offices and Navalny's anti-corruption organization as extremist groups, a label that would outlaw their activities, expose members and supporters to lengthy prison terms, and pose a major challenge for Navalny’s embattled team. Leonid Volkov, who as Navalny’s top strategist runs the regional offices, said Thursday that preserving the network in its current state “is impossible” because of the extremism charges but rebranding them wouldn’t help either. “Unfortunately, it is impossible to work in these conditions. We’re officially dismantling the network of Navalny’s headquarters,” Volkov said on the messaging app Telegram.