Navalny is a Russian opposition leader, lawyer, and anti-corruption activist. He has organized anti-government demonstrations and run for office to advocate reforms against corruption in Russia, and against president Vladimir Putin and his government, who avoids referring directly to Navalny by name.
In August 2020, Navalny was hospitalized in serious condition after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He became seriously ill as a passenger on an airplane. He was medically evacuated to Berlin and discharged a month later. Navalny accused Putin of being responsible for his poisoning, and an investigation implicated agents from the Federal Security Service In January 2021, Navalny returned to Russia and was immediately detained on accusations of violating parole. Following his arrest, mass protests were held across Russia. In February 2021, his suspended sentence was replaced with a prison sentence of over two and half years' detention. In March 2022, Navalny was sentenced to an additional nine years in prison after being found guilty of embezzlement and contempt of court in a new trial described as a sham by Amnesty International; his appeal was rejected and in June, he was transferred to a high-security prison.