With a Ban on Navalnyâs Group, Putin Sends Clear Message to Biden
The move, just a week before their summit, will likely push the Russian opposition further underground and was a signal that the countryâs domestic affairs are not up for discussion.
A worker painting over a mural depicting the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny in St. Petersburg, Russia, in April.Credit.Anton Vaganov/Reuters
June 9, 2021, 3:56 p.m. ET
MOSCOW â A court on Wednesday designated Aleksei A. Navalnyâs political movement as extremist, a remarkable broadside by President Vladimir V. Putin that also sent a message to President Biden ahead of their meeting next week: Russian domestic affairs are not up for discussion.