MOSCOW, Dec  21, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Russia on Thursday issued an arrest 
warrant for Maria Pevchikh, a longtime ally of jailed opposition figure Alexei 
Navalny who has not been seen by allies for over two weeks.

       The Kremlin has doubled down on its repression of Russia's already-weakened 
civil society, since ordering troops into Ukraine early last year.

       "Look, I am now on Russia's wanted list," Pevchikh said in a social media 
post featuring a smiling emoji with sunglasses.

       "Not sure for what but who cares," she added, alongside a screenshot of the 
interior ministry's announcement.

       Pevchikh had already left Russia and is running the Anti-Corruption 
Foundation, an organisation founded by Navalny that highlights corruption among 
Russian elites.

       Navalny was jailed in 2021, after surviving an attempt to assassinate him 
by poisoning.

       His sentence was extended earlier this year to 19 years, on extremism 
charges, a ruling that means he is likely to be moved to a more secure prison.

       His allies and supporters have voiced growing concern, claiming they have 
not been able to account for his whereabouts in more than two weeks.

       "Navalny was supposed to have a (court) hearing now. He did not show up 
again," his spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh said on social media.

       "We have not had any information about Alexei for 16 days," she said, 
adding that the court had promised to send a request for information to the 
penitentiary service.

       Navalny could be undergoing a prison transfer, a process that can take 
weeks in Russia, where inmates are moved by rail between far-flung facilities.

       Several international rights groups and Western governments have expressed 
concern over Navalny's whereabouts.