Russian court bans groups linked to Putin critic Alexei Navalny
The ruling could increase tensions ahead of
President Putin s meeting with US leader
Joe Biden in Geneva next week.
Mr Navlany last year survived a poisoning attempt blamed on Russian intelligence, and in February was
jailed for two and a half years for parole violations.
The 45-year-old has for many years been Mr Putin s most vocal critic within Russia.
The latest case was brought by Moscow s top prosecutor, who accused Mr Navalny and his allies of trying to start a revolution by destabilising Russia s socio-political fabric.
Mr Navalny s lawyers said they would appeal and criticised the prosecution s evidence.
A court in Moscow on Wednesday (9 June) branded the political organisations of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as "extremist" and barred them from working in Russia, a further blow to the embattled opposition ahead of parliamentary elections.