Russian Officials File New Charges Against Navalny

MOSCOW (AP) – Russia’s main investigative agency says it has filed new theft and money laundering charges against opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his brother. The Investigative Committee said in a statement Tuesday that Navalny and his brother Oleg are accused of stealing more than 30 million rubles (more than $940,000) from a commercial company.

Navalny dismissed the charges as politically motivated. In July, he was convicted of embezzlement in a separate case, but a court suspended his five-year sentence earlier this month. Navalny won 27 percent of Moscow’s mayoral vote in September, finishing a strong second behind the Kremlin-backed incumbent and cementing his positions as Russia’s No. 1 opposition leader. He was a key driving force behind massive protests in Moscow against Vladimir Putin’s return to the Russian presidency.