by Guy Faulconbridge
LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) – Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, imprisoned in Russia, lambasted Vladimir Putin during a court appearance on Tuesday, portraying him as a madman who started a “stupid war” and massacred innocent people in Ukraine and Russia.
Alexei Navalny, who was speaking by videoconference from the Prokov penal colony where he is serving a first sentence, was appealing another sentence – nine years in prison – pronounced on March 22 at first instance for “fraud” and “contempt of magistrate”. The Moscow court upheld the sentence on appeal on Tuesday.
The opponent took advantage of his intervention to launch a virulent attack against the Russian president and the war in Ukraine, a rare act of dissent in a country where criticizing the army and its “special military operation” in Ukraine constitutes a criminal offense.
Describing Putin’s Russia as a state run by thieves and criminals, Navalny said the current Russian rulers would be crushed by the forces of history and burn in hell for causing bloodshed in Ukraine.
“It’s a stupid war your Putin started,” the 45-year-old detainee said. “This war was built on lies.”
“A madman has set his claws in Ukraine and I don’t know what he wants to do with it, this mad thief,” he added, predicting a “historic defeat”.
The judge interrupted Alexei Navalny several times.
The Kremlin opponent, who is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence, denies all the charges against him and says they were fabricated to thwart his political ambitions. (Report Guy Faulconbridge; French version Federica Mileo, edited by)
click here for restrictions
©2022 Reuters