Alexey Navalny has arrived in Moscow after spending several months recuperating in Berlin. He was detained at the airport for violating probation terms.
The plane carrying Navalny was due to land in Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, but it was instead diverted to the capital’s Sheremetyevo Airport. The airliner told the media that the last-minute change happened due to “technical issues” on the ground.
The activist left the plane and entered the airport via shuttle bus. He was then detained by police during documents check at the arrivals terminal.
The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) confirmed to the media that Navalny has been detained. The FSIN said on Thursday that they would detain Navalny for repeatedly violating probation terms that were imposed as part of a suspended prison sentence in a 2014 fraud conviction.
Officials said Navalny failed to show up to a police station for registration several times in 2020, and later failed to do so after he was discharged from a Berlin clinic.
Navalny has spent several months recuperating in Germany after suddenly falling ill during a campaign event in Siberia.
German officials said they found traces of the Novichok nerve agent in his system, while Navalny accused the Russian secret services of trying to assassinate him. Moscow has denied any involvement in the case.
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