Russia issues international arrest warrant for senior Navalny aide who called for Valentine’s Day protests

Lithuania-based strategist charged with inciting minors

Leonid Volkov urged people to join Valentine’s Day “love” protests (Getty)

Russia has issued an international arrest warrant for one of recently jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny's closest allies, a Moscow court said on Wednesday.

Leonid Volkov, a strategist who oversees Navalny's regional headquarters, has angered authorities by organising anti-Kremlin protests from his base in Lithuania demanding the release of the Putin critic, who was last week sentenced to nearly three years in prison.

On Tuesday, Mr Volkov urged people all over Russia to join a brief protest on Valentine's Day this weekend where they would shine their mobile phone torches and light candles in heart shapes to flood social media with pictures of the event.

Basmanny Court in Moscow said on Wednesday investigators had requested Mr Volkov be preventively detained after he was charged with inciting minors to take to the streets.

The court said a warrant for his arrest had been issued covering the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a group of former Soviet republics including Russia.

Lithuania, where he is based, is not a member of the CIS.

The court said Mr Volkov would be held in Russia for two months if and when he is detained or extradited.

Tass, a news agency affiliated with the Russian state, said investigators claimed they had discovered video recordings of Mr Volkov urging minors to participate in illegal rallies.

Mr Volkov wrote on Telegram, an instant messaging platform, that he would pay no attention to the arrest warrant and would continue to work.

The Valentine's Day protest was intended to differ from recent demonstrations against Navalny's treatment by the state. It would last only 15 minutes on an evening and people were encouraged to remain close to their homes rather than gathering on mass in central city streets.

Mr Volkov wrote on Telegram that the event was so devised in order to avoid drawing riot police and seeing a repeat of the violence of recent protests, which have seen thousands arrested and drawn allegations of police brutality.

A Kremlin spokesperson said it was "hard to say" whether the planned protest would be deemed unlawful.

Mr Volkov fled Russia in 2019 when authorities opened a criminal case into suspected money laundering by Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), which publishes high-impact investigations into the business of Moscow's elite. On Tuesday, Russia’s foreign ministry said it saw members of the ACF as “agents of influence” working for Nato.

Volkov said the Valentine’s Day event would avoid the violence of recent Navalny protests (pictured) (AFP via Getty)

Navalny has said he respected Mr Volkov's decision to leave the country, and that working from abroad could ultimately keep Mr Volkov out of reach of Russian law enforcement.

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against the jailing of Navalny, who says he is being persecuted for political reasons.

Navalny was arrested last month after returning to Russia for the first time since he was poisoned last summer in Siberia with what Nato believes was novichok, the military-grade nerve agent. Russia has questioned whether he was really poisoned and denied any involvement in what happened to him.

Additional reporting by agencies