New criminal proceedings

Navalny’s brother Oleg wanted for investigation

Oleg Navalny in Germany in 2023(Bild: AFP)

His older brother Alexei died just a few days ago, and now the Kremlin has apparently set its sights on Oleg Navalny. Russia has issued an alert for the 40-year-old, according to state media reports - although the charges were not explained in detail.

The body of the well-known Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny (47), who died under mysterious circumstances in a Siberian prison camp, has been kept under lock and key by the Russian authorities for days. Now the state apparatus apparently wants to see his younger brother Oleg in custody.

According to the state media agency TASS, the law enforcement authorities have brought new charges against the 40-year-old - it was not disclosed under which article of the Russian Criminal Code this measure was taken.

Oleg Navalny and his mother Lyudmila Navalnaya in 2014(Bild: Associated Press)

Oleg Navalny in Germany in 2023(Bild: AFP)

Suspended sentence for violation of corona requirements
Oleg Navalny was already on the wanted list for another offense: He allegedly violated corona requirements by calling on people to join a peaceful anti-government protest. The 40-year-old is a supporter of his brother's opposition movement and described this charge as politically motivated.

He received a one-year suspended sentence in this matter at the beginning of 2021. During this time, he was banned from leaving the house at night, attending mass events or traveling out of Moscow. Six months later, a correctional facility filed an application demanding that Oleg be imprisoned. By the time a court gave the green light in early 2022, Oleg had already fled Russia, as Radio Free Europe reported. 

Oleg Navalny in a replica of his brother's prison cell, which was set up by activists outside the Russian embassy in Berlin in January 2023(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Alexei Navalny (right) and his brother Oleg during a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in 2018(Bild: Associated Press)

Already on trial together with his brother
In 2014, he had to serve a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for alleged fraud. Critics suspected that the accusations were fictitious at the time and were intended to exert pressure on Kremlin critics. He stood trial with his brother in this case - Alexei, however, only received a suspended sentence. He explained that his brother's imprisonment was an attempt to take him hostage. 

Russian officials suspected that Oleg had fled to Cyprus. His current whereabouts are unknown.