Russia seeks arrest of EU-based Navalny aide

MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday said it was seeking the arrest of an EU-based aide to jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny, a day after accusing him of treason.

Leonid Volkov, who leads Navalny's regional network of offices, lives in Lithuania and has been a prominent voice of the opposition since other key figures in Russia were detained during protests.

A Moscow court spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that investigators had asked for his arrest and that he had been placed on a wanted list that extended to several former Soviet countries, but not Lithuania.

The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes in Russia, said previously that Volkov had been charged with using social media to encourage youngsters to join unauthorised rallies.

In Russia, calling on people under 18 to join demonstrations can carry a sentence of up to three years in jail.

Volkov vowed to continue working despite the warrant, which was issued a day after Russia labelled him and another Navalny associate "traitors" for urging the European Union to sanction individuals close to President Vladimir Putin.

In a video call with representatives of the EU and other Western countries, Volkov called on the bloc to impose "personal sanctions" on Russians to force a change in Kremlin behaviour.

Navalny was handed almost three years in jail last week for violating probation terms while he was in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack.

His detention earlier and the verdict sparked massive nationwide protests that saw law enforcement detain 10,000 people and sparked allegations of police abuse.

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Tuesday he would recommend sanctions during a meeting of EU ministers later this month.