<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">A Russian court will deliver its verdict on Friday in the trial of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is facing extremism charges that could keep him behind bars for decades.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In his closing statement to the court, the 47-year-old criticised Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by an unprecedented crackdown on critics of President Vladimir Putin's government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Russia was "floundering in a pool of either mud or blood," Navalny said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Around it lie tens of thousands of people killed in the most stupid and senseless war of the 21st century," he told the court.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prosecutors have requested a jail term of 20 years on charges that include the financing of extremist activity, publicly inciting extremist activities and "rehabilitating Nazi ideology".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Navalny is serving a nine-year prison sentence on embezzlement charges that his supporters see as punishment for his political work.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The feisty government critic built a huge following on social media with videos exposing the alleged corruption of the Russian elite, and mobilised massive anti-government protests.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was arrested in 2021 on his arrival in Moscow from Germany, where he had been recovering from a poisoning attack he blames on the Kremlin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The trial is being held behind closed doors at the IK-6 penal colony, a maximum security prison some 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow where Navalny is jailed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Punishment cell -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Navalny's last days before the verdict will be spent in a punishment cell, where he is regularly kept over minor infringements of prison rules, his spokesperson said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In all, he has spent almost 200 days in the cell, according to his team, which has denounced harassment from prison authorities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Navalny said prison officials forced him to share a cell with a sickly inmate and subjected him and other prisoners to "torture by Putin", making them listen to the Russian president's speeches.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He has also complained of health problems and suffering weight major loss since being jailed in a strict regime penal colony.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prosecutors have requested Navalny serve his additional sentence in an even more restrictive, special regime prison.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In April, Navalny said he could be separately judged over terrorism charges and face life in prison.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His campaign offices around the country were declared extremist organisations in 2021 by authorities, putting employees, volunteers and supporters at greater risk of prosecution.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the summer two heads of regional offices, Lilia Chanysheva and Vadim Ostanin, were sentenced to seven-and-a-half and nine years respectively on extremism charges.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thousands of Russians have been detained for protesting against Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, and some of the most high-profile activists including Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin are now behind bars. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>