Photo: MAXIM ZMEYEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia’s prison service has ordered opposition leader Alexei Navalny to return to Moscow by Tuesday morning or face jail if he returns past the deadline, Reuters reports.
The state of play: Navalny, one of Russia's most prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin, has been in Germany since he was airlifted there while recovering from an attempted poisoning attempt.
- An investigation by the website Bellingcat found this month that Navalny was tailed by a chemical weapons team from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) before his poisoning.
- Last week, it was revealed that Navalny had duped one of the FSB agents accused of tailing him into detailing on a phone call how the botched operation was carried out. The Kremlin has denied having any role in the poisoning and claims it hasn't seen evidence Navalny was poisoned.
Details: The Federal Prison Service (FSIN) on Monday accused Navalny of violating the terms of a suspended prison term he has been serving since 2014 for a theft case he claims was politically motivated.
- Navalny's lawyer said there is no way he can return to Moscow by Tuesday and accused the FSIN of acting on the orders of the Kremlin, per Reuters.
- Navalny has been arrested several times for his anti-government protests. His probation period expires on Dec. 30.
Go deeper: Russian security officer duped into revealing poisoning plot to Navalny