<p>Two exiled aides of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny were slapped with new criminal charges for helping to finance organisations that have recently been labelled "extremist", Russian investigators said Tuesday.</p>.<p>Navalny's movement is facing unprecedented pressure in Russia as his main groups have been de-facto banned in the country, while the opposition leader is serving two and a half years in prison on old fraud charges.</p>.<p>President Vladimir Putin's most vocal domestic critic was sent to jail in February after returning to Russia from Germany following a near-fatal poisoning attack that he blames on the Kremlin.</p>.<p>Russia's Investigative Committee said on Tuesday that it had launched a criminal case against Navalny allies Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov over the "collection of funds and provision of financial services deliberately intended to finance an extremist organisation".</p>.<p>The charges carry a maximum penalty of eight years in jail.</p>.<p>Volkov, 40, was in charge of Navalny's disbanded network of regional offices. Zhdanov, 32, headed the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) that publishes investigations into the wealth of Russia's elites.</p>.<p>The organisations were labelled "extremist" in June for allegedly plotting an uprising with support from the West.</p>.<p>"Knowing that these organisations were recognised as extremist, Volkov and Zhdanov announced the continuation of their illegal activities and organised a fundraiser," investigators said in a statement.</p>.<p>Both Volkov and Zhdanov reside outside Russia and are wanted by Moscow on other criminal charges.</p>.<p>"I've already lost count of the number of criminal cases that have been launched against me," Zhdanov wrote on his Instagram on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Navalny's close allies still in Russia are under close law enforcement supervision, some under house arrest.</p>.<p>Last week, Navalny's brother Oleg was handed a one-year suspended sentence for breaching coronavirus rules by calling on Russians to attend an unsanctioned rally. Key ally Lyubov Sobol was sentenced to a year and a half of restricted movement in the same case.</p>.<p>Russia's state censor in July blocked nearly 50 Navalny-linked websites and allies say the media watchdog is also seeking to suspend their social media channels.</p>.<p>Russia's opposition says authorities have stepped up a campaign of intimidation against dissenters ahead of a parliamentary vote in September, allegations the Kremlin has rejected.</p>
<p>Two exiled aides of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny were slapped with new criminal charges for helping to finance organisations that have recently been labelled "extremist", Russian investigators said Tuesday.</p>.<p>Navalny's movement is facing unprecedented pressure in Russia as his main groups have been de-facto banned in the country, while the opposition leader is serving two and a half years in prison on old fraud charges.</p>.<p>President Vladimir Putin's most vocal domestic critic was sent to jail in February after returning to Russia from Germany following a near-fatal poisoning attack that he blames on the Kremlin.</p>.<p>Russia's Investigative Committee said on Tuesday that it had launched a criminal case against Navalny allies Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov over the "collection of funds and provision of financial services deliberately intended to finance an extremist organisation".</p>.<p>The charges carry a maximum penalty of eight years in jail.</p>.<p>Volkov, 40, was in charge of Navalny's disbanded network of regional offices. Zhdanov, 32, headed the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) that publishes investigations into the wealth of Russia's elites.</p>.<p>The organisations were labelled "extremist" in June for allegedly plotting an uprising with support from the West.</p>.<p>"Knowing that these organisations were recognised as extremist, Volkov and Zhdanov announced the continuation of their illegal activities and organised a fundraiser," investigators said in a statement.</p>.<p>Both Volkov and Zhdanov reside outside Russia and are wanted by Moscow on other criminal charges.</p>.<p>"I've already lost count of the number of criminal cases that have been launched against me," Zhdanov wrote on his Instagram on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Navalny's close allies still in Russia are under close law enforcement supervision, some under house arrest.</p>.<p>Last week, Navalny's brother Oleg was handed a one-year suspended sentence for breaching coronavirus rules by calling on Russians to attend an unsanctioned rally. Key ally Lyubov Sobol was sentenced to a year and a half of restricted movement in the same case.</p>.<p>Russia's state censor in July blocked nearly 50 Navalny-linked websites and allies say the media watchdog is also seeking to suspend their social media channels.</p>.<p>Russia's opposition says authorities have stepped up a campaign of intimidation against dissenters ahead of a parliamentary vote in September, allegations the Kremlin has rejected.</p>