Putin critic Alexei Navalny seen in public for first time since hunger strike

Alexei Navalny, a critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, has appeared in public for the first time since beginning a hunger strike whilst in prison. Navalny, 44, was moved to a penal colony last month and went on strike in protest at not being allowed access to doctors he trusted. Speaking in court as he appealed a fine for defaming a war veteran, Navalny described Putin as a ‘naked king’ and that Russia “continues to slide into poverty”. Navalny was admitted to a Berlin hospital in August last year after being poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok.