Russian court denies Navalny's release from prison

Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, was remanded in custody for 30 days on January 18 after flying back to Russia for the first time since being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in August.

A court at the time ordered him detained for alleged parole violations, which he denied. With various legal cases pending against him, Navalny, 44, could face years in jail.

Addressing the presiding judge by video link from jail before the ruling, Navalny demanded to be released and railed against what he said were absurd allegations he said had been trumped up by Russia's authorities to sideline him for political reasons.