Russia: Alexei Navalny Associate Vadim Ostanin Sentenced to Prison

Facts

• Vadim Ostanin, a campaigner for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his role as a leader in Navlany's Anti-Corruption Foundation. The group was deemed an "extremist community" by the court.¹
• According to social media statements made by Navalny's team, Ostanin had been accused of participating in an organization "whose activity involves violence against citizens." Navalny's camp added that Ostanin was only involved in "legal political work."²
• Ostanin was first detained in December 2021 on "extremist community" charges and allegations of infringing "upon the rights of citizens." He had been in pretrial detention for over a year during which, his supporters say, he was subjected to coercion and "appalling conditions."³
• In November 2021, the Russian government declared Navalny's group an extremist organization — allegations of extremism have since been leveled against several Navalny associates. Navalny loyalist Lilia Chanysheva was sentenced to over seven years in prison in June on similar charges.⁴
• Alexei Navalny himself is serving a prison sentence of 11 and a half years on charges that include fraud. He is currently on trial for charges of involvement in an extremist organization and is expected to be sentenced at the beginning of August.¹
• Prosecutors in the case were seeking a sentence of 11 and a half years for Ostanin, the regional organizer of Navalny's political network in the Siberian city of Barnaul. However, Navalny's associate has been listed by Russian human rights group Memorial as a political prisoner.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²UPI, ³Novaya Gazeta Europe, ⁴VOA, and ⁵The Moscow Times.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT International. The outrage in the West over the internal affairs of Russia speaks to the vested interest they have in Navalny and his allies. Alexei Navalny's organization was labeled extremist as a result of the backing his efforts to destabilize Russian society garner from Western governments. These are so extensive that the government has labeled Navalny a foreign agent. Russia has every right to restrict those meddling on behalf of a foreign regime.
• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Under Putin, Moscow has taken extreme measures to wipe out opposition in Russia, starting with the most prominent anti-Kremlin leader and his associates. The world cannot just stand by and watch as the legal system is weaponized to lock up every opponent to Putin's dictatorial regime. We cannot allow the Russian government to silence the strongest pro-democracy advocates left in the country.

Predictions