Navalny cracks jokes in first appearance since being sent to Arctic prison camp

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny seems to be in good spirits after his recent move to a harsh Siberian prison colony.

Today’s appearance in court marks Navalny’s first since he went missing for three weeks in December during his move to Russia’s frigid Arctic prison colony, ‘Polar Wolf’.

Speaking through a video link at a court apperance, the political dissident joked about how much he had missed the court officials during his transfer to his new prison camp.

He sarcastically remarked: ‘A tear is flowing down my cheek — I’m so glad to see you all. My dear Kovrov court!’

Navalny also asked if prison staff at his previous facility had ‘partied’ to celebrate his departure – a question which the judge struck down.

He then joked: ‘OK, I’ll rephrase it — was it a party or a karaoke evening?’

The Russian opposition leader has been described as the ‘man Putin fears most’.

Navalny’s lawyers lost contact with him on December 11, sparking concern among his supporters and family.

He had been sentenced to 19 years in prison in August after being found guilty of creating an extremist community, financing extremist activities and numerous other crimes.

CEO of Hermitage Capital Bill Browder had pushed for Putin to face justice after the death of not only his former lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, but Alexander Litvinenko, Boris Nemstov and countless other Russians who spoke against the Kremlin.

Mr Browder previously told Metro.co.uk that Mr Navalny’s disappearance is alarming and disturbing, adding: ‘In the best case, he’s being transferred between prisons – in the worst case, something catastrophic has happened to him.’

Mr Navalny was kept in solitary confinement in horrific prisons and revealed in a video interview earlier this year that he lost 18lbs in less than one month.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.