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Kremlin says more sanctions over Navalny’s health complaints would be absurd

Lawyer Olga Mikhailova said after visiting Navalny in the penal colony that her client’s health had worsened seriously

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Milhail Metzel/TASS

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Milhail Metzel/TASS

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Moscow regards as absurd the possibility of the introduction of more sanctions against Russia over the situation with blogger Alexey Navalny in connection with his health complaints in the penal colony, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Friday.

Asked if Moscow was expecting more sanctions in connection with the Navalny case the Kremlin official said: "Sanctions are not what one should expect. It is something that one should be prepared for."

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Navalny’s health significantly deteriorated in prison, lawyer says

"The sanction habits of our opponents regrettably get ever stronger," Peskov said. "But in this particular case we believe that any sanction intentions in connection one of Russia’s convicts would be totally absurd."

The Kremlin spokesman also said that developments around Navalny, starting with his alleged poisoning, are unlikely to eventually make a hero out of him.

"No, I don’t think so," he said in response to a question.

Lawyer Olga Mikhailova told TASS on Thursday after visiting Navalny in the penal colony that her client’s health had worsened seriously. He complained about strong pain in his back and was unable to put weight on one foot. The penal colony’s press-service earlier said that Navalny had undergone routine medical examination and his condition was recognized as satisfactory.

A court in Moscow on February 2 sustained a request from the federal penitentiary service FSIN to replace a 3.5-year suspended prison term handed to Navalny in the Yves Rocher case with a real one due to numerous violations. The lawyer said Navalny was to spend in the penal colony a little more than two years. He had been transferred to penal colony No. 2 in Pokrov from the Kolchugino detention center.

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