Judge is about to rule in the case of Alexei Navalny, who was just let back into court. He's now standing in a glass holding dock surrounded by armed police.
@SvobodaRadio Navalny looks to his wife Yulia in the courtroom and makes a heart gesture with his hands before the court rules. He could get 3.5 years behind bars (with roughly a year knocked off) or be released on parole.
Judge now reading out the ruling as Navalny looks on with a slight smirk on his face. His fate will be known imminently.
Navalny a moment ago drawing a heart on the glass of his cage in the courtroom and locking eyes with his wife as the judge began reading the verdict.
⚡️BREAKING: Russian court orders Alexei Navalny to prison for 3.5 years.
The be clear: the Russian court has handed Navalny a 3.5-year prison sentence, but it will actually be 2.5 years, minus the almost one year he spent under house arrest.
OK. The verdict has been delivered. The judge says 2 years and 8 months for Navalny, who is now being led out of the courtroom.
Editor-in-chief of RT (Russia Today) state propaganda channel celebrates Navalny's prison sentence by sharing a Telegram channel for Kremlin sycophants where she says a "good chat" is happening. The comments say things like "Hooray!" and "The sentence should have been longer."
For Ukraine watchers, this is an intriguing development: President Zelensky has imposed sanctions on MP Taras Kozak, a proxy of Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk, and his TV channels, NewsOne, Zik, 112, which are notorious pushers of Russian disinformation. president.gov.ua/documents/4320…
The move was signed by Zelensky after approval from National Security and Defense Council. Kozak faces a slew of restrictions and bans now, including asset freezes. His TV channels—which really are controlled by Medvedchuk, who is Putin's lackey in Kyiv—are already off the air.
Many Ukrainian progressives, political analysts, and even journalists have long supported measures like those imposed today against what are essentially Kremlin disinfo networks in Ukraine. Poroshenko blocked Russian social networks and other sites.
NEW: Biden spoke with Putin. Kremlin readout says the presidents discussed int'l security & the exchange of documents today to extend the New START nuclear treaty.
Also discussed: the pandemic, trade & economic issues, Open Skies Treaty, Ukraine, & more. kremlin.ru/events/preside…
The Kremlin says, "On the whole, the conversation between the leaders of Russia and the United States was businesslike and frank in nature. [Putin and Biden] agreed they would stay in contact."
No readout from the White House yet. But here's what Biden said about it moments ago:
Incredible scenes across Russia—from Tomsk to Chelyabinsk to Ulan-Ude to St. Petersburg—of crowds in the tens of thousands (or more?) coming out to protest the arrest of Alexei Navalny. Here’s Moscow’s Pushkin Square just 20 min after the start of the protest in Russia’s capital.
I'm also told that Pompeo has ordered an internal investigation into the matter, beginning with interns and employees leaving the State Department this week and next ahead of the transition to the Biden administration. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…