The Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, stated that the West needs Navalny to destabilize the situation in Russia.
Sputnik News reported Patrushev saying that "Navalny has repeatedly and grossly violated Russian laws and has participated in large-scale fraud, and he must face the legal consequences." Recently, Russia witnessed protests in several cities in solidarity with the opposition figure, during which authorities arrested many of his aides, including press secretary Kira Yarmysh.
The Kremlin accused the U.S. Embassy of intervening in Russia's internal affairs after it issued a warning to its citizens in Russia about the "protests," advising them to avoid demonstration sites. Navalny, who returned from Germany where he was recovering from a poisoning attempt with the nerve agent Novichok (which the Russian authorities were accused of), was sentenced to 30 days in prison. The Russian judiciary stated that this prison sentence was issued against Navalny for violating his parole related to a prior ruling by traveling to Germany for treatment.
Two years ago, a crisis erupted between the West and Russia after the former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with Novichok in Britain, at which time Moscow also denied any involvement in the attack.
