“We would see it through to the end.” How the Russian authorities killed Alexei Navalny - chronology

2011. The Kirovles case

The first criminal case against Navalny. The politician was prosecuted “for causing damage by abuse of trust” (Article 165 of the Criminal Code) to the state enterprise Kirovles during the period when he worked as an adviser to the governor of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh. The case was dropped due to lack of evidence of a crime.

2012. The Kirovles case again

The case was reopened, but under the article of embezzlement (Article 160 of the Criminal Code). The decision was made after the chairman of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, criticized the actions of the investigators: “You had a criminal case against this man, and you quietly dropped it.”

2013. Kirovles verdict and release

Navalny was sentenced to five years in prison and immediately taken into custody. However, the next day, after mass rallies in support of the politician, the court released him on his own recognizance. The prosecutor asked for this: he motivated his appeal by registering Navalny as a candidate in the Moscow mayoral elections: “The preventive measure prevents candidates from ensuring equal access to work with voters.” In October, the court changed the sentence from real to suspended imprisonment.