Jailed Russian activist Alexei Navalny ‘not heard from for almost a week’

Alexei Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition leader, has not been heard from for nearly a week and his lawyers have been unable to contact him, his supporters have said.

Navalny, the anti-corruption activist who became a leading opponent of Vladimir Putin, was convicted of extremism and other charges and is set to remain in prison for three decades. He has called the charges against him politically motivated and said he believes he will not be released while Putin is alive.

“We unfortunately don’t know anything about his status yet,” Kira Yarmysh, an aide to Navalny, told the Guardian. “Today is the sixth day that the lawyers have not seen Alexey.”