alexei navalny prison
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny attends a hearing to consider an appeal against an earlier court decision to change his suspended sentence to a real prison term, in Moscow, Russia February 20, 2021
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
  • Thousands of Russians are protesting in support of Alexei Navalny's release from prison.
  • According to Sky News, hundreds of protesters have been detained.
  • Navalny has said his health is deteriorating in prison and he looks like a 'skeleton.'
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Thousands of protesters across Russia took to the streets on Wednesday, calling for the release of opposition figure Alexei Navalny. According to Sky News, hundreds of protesters have been detained.

Navalny has been on a weekslong hunger strike in jail and is asking for access to his own doctors, claiming that his health is deteriorating rapidly.

Navalny, who is Putin's most prominent critic, was poisoned in August 2020. The agent was likely Novichok, according to reports. Navalny's team claims Putin was behind the incident.

After Navalny recovered in Germany following the poisoning, he returned to Russia where he was charged with violating terms of a fraud sentence from 2014 and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Wednesday's protests follow multiple previous protests in support of Navalny since his detention in January, and the actions today coincided with President Vladimir Putin's annual televised national address.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

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