The European Conservatives and Reformists Party strongly condemns the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny at Moscow airport last night. He had just returned from Germany where he was undergoing treatment following an attack using the nerve agent Novichock. Independent investigations show that this cowardly and barbaric attack was carried out by the Russian secret services. The arrest of Mr Navalny marks a further erosion of the opposition in the Russian Federation.

Mr Navalny has long been a critic of the Kremlin and the current government in Russia – having stood up for the democratic opposition movement and against the illegal actions of Putin’s regime.

ECR Party Secretary General Anna Fotyga said: “Mr Navalny’s only crime is to speak up for the people of Russia against an increasingly corrupt and authoritarian regime. He should be released without hesitation and the Kremlin leaders should face increased sanctions from the international community. Stopping Nord Sream-2 is just one of these possible steps”