“The problem with moving to another colony is not just that the high security colony is much more scary,” Yarmysh said.
“While we do not know where Alexei is, he is at the mercy of [Russian government] system that has already tried to kill him “.
Navalny was initially jailed in January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from near-fatal poisoning in Siberia.
The court then decided to convert his suspended sentence to prison.
This spring he was tried on other charges and sentenced to nine years behind bars, which means he must be transferred to a high-security prison.
Navalny and his associates describe his criminal prosecution as Vladimir Putin’s personal revenge.
Navalny, who emerged as Putin’s nemesis a decade ago, sent a message to supporters two weeks ago, joking that Putin was protecting him from a possible nuclear war by announcing new charges against him.
The details of the new criminal case are unknown, but the politician said he faces charges of founding an “extremist group” that could keep him behind bars even longer.
Navalny used his court appearances this spring to express scathing criticism of Putin, calling the invasion of Ukraine “criminal.”