Russian authorities target ally of Kremlin foe Navalny before jail appeal

FILE PHOTO: Leonid Volkov, chief of staff of Navalny's team, speaks during a news conference with "Cinema for Peace" founder Jaka Bizilj after Bizilj's foundation arranged for an ambulance aircraft to head to Omsk to pick up Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in Berlin, Germany August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian investigators said on Thursday they had opened a criminal case into Leonid Volkov, a close ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, hours before a court was due to hear an appeal against Navalny's own jailing.

The case against Volkov, currently outside Russia, is part of a police crackdown targeting Navalny's allies after tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday to demand the Kremlin release Navalny from jail.