Russia expels Swedish, German, Polish envoys over Navalny protests

Russia has expelled three diplomats from Germany, Sweden and Poland for joining protests in support of opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who was jailed earlier this week, reported British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The Russian foreign ministry said the three took part in "illegal demonstrations" on 23 January.

A Swedish foreign ministry spokeswoman has denied that its diplomat participated in any demonstration, said the BBC report.

The expulsion of the diplomats was announced on Friday, hours after EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

A Moscow court on 2 February sentenced Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 3.5 years in real jail time in defiance of pressure from domestic protesters and Western countries.

Navalny was detained by FSIN officers on Jan. 17 upon his landing at a Moscow airport from Germany, where he received medical treatment for alleged poisoning over the past months.

The opposition leader fell into a coma on a flight from the Russian city of Tomsk to Moscow on Aug. 20, 2020. He was then transferred to a hospital in Berlin with suspected poisoning symptoms.

In early September, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent.

Navalny's detention sparked mass protests in major Russian cities at the past two weekends as his supporters took to the streets demanding his release. Western countries have also pressured Moscow to free him.