Russian Protest Leader Faces New Charges

Running for mayor of Moscow, though maybe not for much longer

Russian prosecutors have unveiled a whole new set of serious criminal allegations against protest-leader-turned-Moscow-mayoral-candidate Alexei Navalny – who is already facing massive legal woes and a likely five-year prison sentence – and it could potentially force him to withdraw from the city polls that are now less than a month off.

On Monday the General Prosecutor's office posted a statement accusing Mr. Navalny of illegally financing his campaign with contributions from abroad. Under Russian law, as in many countries, it is strictly illegal for candidates to political office to accept any donations from foreigners or non-Russian entities.

"The information about foreign funding for Navalny's electoral campaign has been confirmed during checks," the statement said. "More than 300 foreign individuals and organizations, and anonymous donors from 46 countries (including the United States, Finland, Britain, Sweden, and Canada) from 347 IP addresses have sent money to the electronic fund of Navalny and members of his campaign headquarters."