The Ukrainian General Staff said, “The situation in the east and south remains difficult.”

In Washington, concern is growing about the fate of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, whose relatives have not received any news since the beginning of December, when he was imprisoned in a prison.

“We are deeply concerned because we do not know the whereabouts of Alexei Navalny, who has been missing within the Russian prison system for nearly three weeks.”, Announced on X US Secretary of State, Antony BlinkenSaturday. “We once again call for his immediate release and an end to the ongoing suppression of independent voices in Russia.”he added.

Supporters of the opponent, who was imprisoned at the beginning of 2021 after surviving an assassination attempt by poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin, have not heard from him since the beginning of the month. They fear he will be transferred to another prison with a more stringent regime, a procedure that often takes weeks in Russia, a vast region tangled with Soviet-era prison institutions, many of which are located in isolated areas of the country.

“Alexei should have an audience by now. He didn't appear again.”Kira Iarmysh, the official spokesperson for the exiled anti-corruption activist, denounced it on Thursday. “It's been sixteen days since we've had any information about Alexei.”She expressed her regret for the opponent, who is currently serving a 19-year prison sentence “extremism”.

The White House said on December 11 “Very worried” Due to the lack of news related to Alexei Navalny, many NGOs and foreign officials have also reacted since then. Mariana Katsarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia, on Monday expressed her concern about… “Enforced disappearance” One of the most prominent figures in the Russian opposition.