Moscow (CNN)Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny has announced that he plans to return to Russia on Sunday from Germany, where he has been recovering after being poisoned.
“There was never a question for me whether to return or not, never. Just because I didn’t leave. I ended up in Germany, having arrived there in an intensive care box. On January 17, Sunday, I will return home on Pobeda airline flight. Meet me,” Navalny tweeted on Wednesday.
On Monday, Russian prison authorities sent an official request to a court asking to replace his suspended sentence in a years-old case with a real jail term.
The Russian Federal Penitentiary Service said that by staying in Germany Navalny was violating the terms of his suspended sentence in the so-called Yves Roche case, which Navalny believes is politically motivated.
In a video address posted on his Instagram account, the activist said new criminal cases brought against him in Russia were “demonstratively fabricated” and an attempt to prevent him coming back to his home country.
The anti-corruption activist is currently in Germany, after receiving treatment at Berlin’s Charite clinic.
Navalny was poisoned with the toxin Novichok in August and nearly died. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Russia launched a new fraud accusation and jail threat against Navalny at the end of 2020, increasing pressure on him.
This is a breaking story, more to follow.
