Putin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny found guilty by Russian court

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Alexei Navalny, a frequent critic of the Kremlin and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political enemies, has been found guilty by a Russian court, which could result in additional jail time.

The Russian opposition leader was found guilty of large-scale fraud Tuesday, which could add up to 13 years of additional time to the two-and-a-half-year prison sentence he is already serving, Reuters reported.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on a screen via a video link during the verdict in his embezzlement and contempt of court trial at the IK-2 prison colony in the town of Pokrov in Vladimir Region on March 22, 2022. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

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Navalny, 45, claims the charge and subsequent sentence are politically motivated deterrents to his political ambitions, according to the report.

The opposition leader also faces a potential move to a maximum-security penal colony, a request prosecutors specifically made to the court. This decision is expected later on Tuesday.

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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and lawyer Olga Mikhailova are seen on a screen via a video link during the verdict in Navalny's embezzlement and contempt of court trial at the IK-2 prison colony in the town of Pokrov in Vladimir Region on March 22, 2022.  (AFP via Getty Images)

In 2021, Navalny was jailed after he returned to Russia following an incident where he was poisoned. At the time, Navalny received medical treatment in Germany. He blamed the attack, which involved a Soviet-era nerve agent, on Putin.