Tension in Russia as Navalny’s prosecution resumes today

Thousands of Russians have besieged the premises of the court room as prosecution against Alexei Navalny resumed today.

More than 5,000 people have been detained, with Moscow police closing metro stations and the city centre.

Mr Navalny was jailed on his return to Russia after recovering from an attempt to kill him with a nerve agent.

He blames the security services for the attack but the Kremlin denies this.

Russian authorities say Mr Navalny was supposed to report to police regularly because of a suspended sentence for embezzlement.

The opposition leader has denounced his detention as blatantly illegal, saying the authorities had allowed him to travel to berlin for treatment for the Novichok poisoning, which happened in Russia last August.