Biden’s national security advisor calls for Navalny’s release

President-elect Joe Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, on Sunday called for Russia to immediately release Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was detained when returning home for the first time since his poisoning last summer.

“Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable,” Jake Sullivan tweeted.

“The Kremlin’s attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard.”

Navalny was detained at passport control at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport less than an hour after he flew in from Berlin in defiance of warnings that he faced imminent arrest.

The US State Department issued no immediate reaction, but his detention prompted condemnation from the European Union as well as from Sullivan.

The arrest appeared to show that authorities would no longer tolerate the activities of the longtime anti-corruption campaigner and government critic, who in the last decade has become the most prominent opponent of President Vladimir Putin.