He has since been handed three prison terms, most recently on charges of extremism, and has faced months in solitary confinement after being accused of minor infractions. He was arrested in 2021 after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he had recuperated from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. Mr Navalny is Vladimir Putin's fiercest foe and has campaigned against official corruption and organised major anti-Kremlin protests. Russia's independent news site Mediazona reported that after his refusal to appear, the court hearing was adjourned until 2 November. His ally Ivan Zhadnov said he refused to leave his cell after prison officials took away his writing supplies.Īfter that 'security operatives in helmets entered the cell and, using force, dragged him to the investigator,' Mr Zhdanov said.

Mr Navalny, who is serving a 19-year prison term, was due to take part in a court hearing via video link today as part of one of many cases he had brought against his imprisonment. Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has refused to leave his cell and missed a court hearing, his allies have said.