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I follow a lot of Russian language accounts on social media. I first realised something had happened on Friday when I saw a Russian listings magazine post a crying emoji with a picture of the face of Navalny, Russia’s leading opposition figure. This was odd. Their posts were usually apolitical – recently about Rothko in Paris, Timothée Chalamet in Wonka and Prince Charles’s health. News of Alexei Navalny’s death hit the Russian-speaking online world moments before it broke across international media. The very first reaction was cryptic and euphemistic. You could sense the thought behind the responses: Is he really...

A Moscow appeals court has upheld a 19-year prison sentence for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was convicted on extremism-related charges in August. Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is already serving a 9-year sentence on fraud and embezzlement charges. In August, the court said Navalny had financed and incited "extremist activities" with his group the Anti-Corruption Foundation. The group was banned by Russian authorities in 2021 and labeled as extremist. Navalny has rejected the charges as politically motivated by the Kremlin in an attempt to silence him. (snip) The appeal was held in a closed...