Kremlin critic Navalny’s website blocked by Russian regulator

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FILE PHOTO: Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny participates in a rally to mark the 5th anniversary of the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov and to protest proposed amendments to the country’s constitution in Moscow, Russia, on February 29, 2020. REUTERS / Shamil Zhumatov / File photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian internet watchdog Roskomnadzor blocked the website of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalnys, navalny.com, as well as 48 websites of people and organizations affiliated with him, said on Monday the Navalnys team.

The move comes just weeks before the parliamentary elections in September and follows a court ruling in June that approved prosecutors’ demand to declare organizations linked to Navalny extremist, effectively banning them.

Navalny’s close ally Leonid Volkov told social media site Telegram that the team will soon explain how they plan to bypass the blockade.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent home critic, is serving a 2.5-year sentence for parole violations he says were fabricated. His imprisonment strained Russia’s relations with the West, which demanded his release and criticized the ruling on extremism.

The Navalnys team is promoting a so-called smart voting strategy to support the strongest opponents of the ruling United Russia party in every constituency in the September election.

Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Olzhas Auyov; Editing by Jon Boyle and Peter Graff

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