Vladimir Putin critic Alexei Navalny present in one in every of Russia’s hardest prisons after no contact for practically three weeks

Jailed Russian politician Alexei Navalny has been tracked all the way down to one of many nation’s hardest prisons, after supporters misplaced contact with him for greater than two weeks.

Mr Navalny – seen as a frontrunner for these in Russia who oppose President Vladimir Putin – is within the IK-3 jail in Kharp, about 1,200 miles (1,900km) northeast of Moscow and north of the Arctic Circle, his spokeswoman stated.

Known because the Polar Wolf colony, the jail is the place these convicted of probably the most critical crimes are saved, with harsh winters and temperatures anticipated to quickly drop to -28C.

It was based as a part of what was as soon as the gulag system of compelled Soviet labour camps, in response to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.

“This prison will be much worse than the one that was before,” spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh stated, referring to Mr Navalny’s earlier jail 145 miles (235km) east of Moscow.

“They are trying to make his life as unbearable as it possibly can be,” she added.

Mr Navalny’s lawyer, Ivan Zhdanov, stated supporters of the 47-year-old had despatched 618 requests for data on his location and urged Russian authorities wish to isolate him earlier than the election due in March 2024 – which President Putin just lately confirmed he would stand in.

As a prisoner, Mr Navalny can’t run for workplace.

Mr Navalny’s allies, who had already been getting ready for his anticipated switch to a “special regime” colony – the harshest grade in Russia’s jail system – stated he hadn’t been seen since 6 December.

Russian authorities say he’s a convicted legal, although Mr Navalny denies all the costs towards him.

The US welcomed studies Mr Navalny has been situated and known as for his instant launch.

“We remain deeply concerned for Mr Navalny’s wellbeing and the conditions of his unjust detention,” a US State Department spokesperson added.

“We have conveyed to the Russian government that they are responsible for  what happens to Mr Navalny in their custody.”

Read extra:
Why some Russians hope Navalny may overthrow Putin
How he misplaced attraction towards further 19-year jail sentence

Mr Navalny was praised by Russia’s disparate opposition for returning to the nation in 2021 from Germany, the place he was handled for what Western assessments confirmed was an try to poison him with a nerve agent.

He says he was focused in Siberia in August 2020 – with novichok, the identical substance used within the Salisbury poisonings – however the Kremlin denies making an attempt to kill him and stated there isn’t a proof to assist his claims.

His supporters forged him as a future chief of Russia, although it’s unclear how a lot in style assist Mr Navalny really has inside Russia.

The authorities view him and his supporters as extremists, who they are saying are attempting to destabilise Russia, and allege he has hyperlinks to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in America.

His opposition motion has been outlawed, which has compelled a lot of his followers to flee overseas.