Russian law

The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell said during a visit to Moscow on Friday that the bloc's ties with Russia were under "severe strain" following the arrest and imprisonment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Biden called on Moscow to release dissident Alexei Navalny

The news was confirmed from the hospital where he worked, writes Klix.ba and adds that it is Dr Sergej Maksimishin, who was the deputy chief doctor of the hospital in Omsk. However, the exact reason for this 55-year-old doctor's death has not been announced yet.

Alexei Navalny's conviction is unacceptable, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov wrote on Facebook today.

He must be freed as soon as possible. Court trials should not be politicized. The ongoing violence against peacefully protesting Russian citizens is also unacceptable, Borisov notes further.

A Moscow court on Feb. 2 ordered Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to prison for more than 2 1/2 years, finding that he violated the terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning. The ruling ignited protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The suspended sentence of the Russian oppositionist Alexei Navalny in the case of the embezzlement of Yves Roche has been changed to 3 years and 6 months behind bars, TASS reports from the courtroom.

Moscow braced for more protests seeking the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who faces a court hearing on Feb. 2 after two weekends of nationwide rallies and thousands of arrests in the largest outpouring of discontent in Russia in years.

Police detained more than 4,800 people across Russia and blocked off the center of Moscow on Jan. 31in a massive clampdown on protests demanding the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Russian police detained over 250 protesters on Jan. 31 as activists took to the streets across the country demanding the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

EU foreign ministers are to consider how to react following the jailing of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny and mass detentions at demonstrations across the country.

Three Baltic states are calling for sharper EU sanctions on Moscow, but most member states seem minded to wait a little longer before resorting to more restrictive measures ahead of Monday's talks.