Russia on Wednesday expressed its interest in arresting Alexei Navalny’s EU-based aid, Leonid Volkov, who lives in Lithuania and leads the jailed Kremlin critic’s regional network of offices. He has been a prominent voice of the opposition figure Navalny in Russia. Many key figures have been detained in anti-Kremlin protests in Russia that followed the arrest of Navalny following his return to Moscow, reports AFP.

Navalny’s aide has been put on the wanted list (extended to several former Soviet countries but not Lithuania) and his arrest has been asked for after accusing him of treason. 

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Jailed last month after getting detained from Moscow airport, Navalny returned back to Russia after undergoing treatment for poisoning in Germany. He was sentenced to three years in jail during his treatment period. 

The 44-year-old’s detention and the verdict sparked massive nationwide protests after which the authorities detained nearly 10,000 people. Protesters have also accused the police of abuse.

Volkov has been accused of encouraging young people (under 18) to join demonstrations and rallies through social media. This is illegal in Russia and carries a sentence of up to three years in jail. 

In an old videocall representative of the EU and Western countries, Alexei is seen urging the European Union to sanction individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Volkov vowed to continue working despite the warrant, which was issued a day after Russia labelled him and another Navalny associate “traitors” for urging the European Union to sanction individuals close to Putin.

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Josep Borrell, European Union’s prime diplomat has said he would be recommending sanctions in an EU meeting scheduled to take place later this month. 

Navalny was handed almost three years in jail last week for violating probation terms while he was in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack.