Putin's 'Stupid War' Critic Navalny Sent To Tiny One-Man Jail Cell: 'They're Doing It To Shut Me Up'

Jailed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, said he had been transferred to a solitary punishment cell, that was “clearly designed to shut him up.”

What Happened: Navalny, a strong opponent of Putin’s war in Ukraine, is serving prison terms totaling over 11 years for fraud, contempt of court, and parole violations after being sentenced in March — all of which he rejects as trumped-up charges.

In a series of tweets, Navalny said that just days before his close family members were due to visit him, Russian officials told him he was an “egregious offender” and would be transferred to a one-man cell or “cramped cell,” where long visits are banned. 

See Also: Biden Says Putin May Not Have Fired Missiles In Poland, After Emergency Meeting With World Leaders

Although jailed, Navalny is allowed to send and receive messages with the outside world for one hour each week through his lawyer to his staff in exile in Lithuania, according to media reports.

“Oh well, I’ll take it philosophically. They’re doing it to shut me up. So what’s my first duty? That’s right, to not be afraid and not shut up,” he said via his Twitter account.

Navalny ended his tweets urging people to campaign against the Ukraine war. “That’s what I urge everyone else to do as well. At every opportunity, campaign against the war, Putin and United Russia.”

Earlier, in May, he launched a blistering attack on Russia’s war in Ukraine after losing an appeal against a nine-year prison term on fraud charges. He said the rulings against him were no different from the lies used by “madman” Putin and Russian media to justify his war.

“You will suffer a historic defeat in this stupid war that you started. It has no purpose or meaning. Why are we fighting a war?,” he said.

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Photo by Michał Siergiejevicz on Wikimedia Commons