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Russia Expels European Diplomats Over Navalny Case

Charles Maynes

   Russia and Western nations continued to clash Friday over the fate of
   jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny, with Russia's Foreign Ministry
   announcing the expulsion of three European diplomats over alleged
   support for the Kremlin critic even as the top EU diplomat was in
   Moscow for talks.

   The moves came as Russian authorities continued to ramp up pressure on
   Navalny -- trying him again in a Moscow court Friday just days after he
   was sentenced to nearly three years in prison on a parole violation,
   which prompted protests at home and outrage abroad.

   The U.S. has joined European allies in calling for Navalny's release
   and criticizing the [1]detention of thousands of demonstrators,
   prompting Kremlin accusations of Western interference in Russia's
   internal affairs.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/europe/no-eu-sanctions-now-while-russia-protesters-allege-brutal-police-treatment

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