Russian authorities on Friday opened a criminal probe into an ally of opposition leader Alexei Navalny after raiding her flat, alleging she threatened a man Navalny claimed took part in his poisoning.
Ivan Zhdanov, head of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund, said investigators launched a probe into Lyubov Sobol for trespassing “with the use of violence or a threat to use it” after Sobol rang the doorbell of the alleged Federal Security Service (FSB) agent.
On Monday Navalny said he had tricked an alleged chemical weapons expert with the FSB named Konstantin Kudryavtsev into admitting that the domestic intelligence agency had sought to kill him this summer by placing poison in his underwear.
Later Monday, Sobol went to the Moscow apartment where a joint media report led by the Bellingcat investigative website last week said Kudryavtsev lives.
She was detained by police at the scene and questioned for hours.
On Friday police took the 33-year-old opposition activist in for questioning after conducting a raid on her Moscow apartment at around 7:00 a.m. and confiscated her tech devices, the Anti-Corruption Fund wrote on Twitter.
Sobol’s young daughter and husband were allowed to leave the flat, said a message posted on Sobol’s Twitter feed.
Speaking to AFP on Monday, the opposition activist had expressed concern about a possible criminal case against her.
Sobol, a lawyer by training, has announced plans to run in parliamentary elections next year.
Western governments say Navalny, 44, was poisoned with the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent in a case that has further dented Moscow’s relations with leading European countries and sparked mutual sanctions.
The FSB has said Navalny’s call with Kudryavtsev was “fake” but has not denied that he works for the agency.
The Kremlin has admitted that security agents have tailed Navalny but denied any attempts to poison him.
(C)MOSCOW TIMES 2020
Sobol was arrested for ringing a door bell. A state crime in The Russia.
A crime syndicate is conducting a criminal probe on an innocent person. Mafia land is a perverted place not worthy to consider it being a legitimate country.
Russian authorities have not opened a criminal probe into the opposition leader’s poisoning.
Navalny said the Russian authorities’ “hysterical reaction” only proved their guilt.
“You call a killer’s doorbell — they break down your door and take you in for questioning,” he wrote on his blog.
Sobol, a lawyer by training, has announced plans to run in parliamentary elections next year.
So this frail looking woman attacked an FSB terrorist? In a normal country, this would get laughed out of court, but in the swamp, we all know Putin’s law is to jail anyone minutely considered a threat to his tsardom.
Yeah, just like last time, they are discrediting (arresting) opposition so they can’t be eligible for next year’s parliamentary elections. Her and Navalny will be in jail a half dozen times between now and then I bet.
Yeah, straight out of the Kremlin playbook. I have no doubt she will be charged, maybe even jailed, or worse.