Navalny Spokeswoman Added To Russia's Wanted List

MOSCOW -- Kira Yarmysh, the spokeswoman for jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, has been added to Russia's wanted list on unspecified charges.


Yarmysh's name appeared on the Interior Ministry's registry of wanted individuals on March 11.

In April 2020, a Moscow court sentenced Yarmysh to 18 months of so-called "restricted freedom," which means that she cannot change her permanent address, leave the Moscow region without police permission, or take part in public events.

The ministry did not give a detailed explanation of the move to place Yarmysh on the wanted list, but the Moscow City Court said the same day that the Federal Penitentiary Service had asked it to replace the "restricted freedom" sentence with real jail time.

Yarmysh, who fled Russia in late August 2021, was found guilty of violating restrictive measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus by publicly calling for people to take part in unsanctioned rallies to support Navalny in January.

Several of Navalny's supporters have been convicted on similar charges and were handed freedom-limitation sentences.