Russia declares Navalny's groups 'extremist' in ongoing crackdown -lawyers

FILE PHOTO: A police officer stands next to a car in front of a graffiti depicting jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny in Saint Petersburg, Russia April 28, 2021. The graffiti reads: "The hero of the new age". REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court on Wednesday approved a request by prosecutors to declare organisations linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny "extremist" in a move that outlaws the groups, his lawyers said on social media.

The ruling, which takes effect immediately, effectively bars the groups' members from running in a parliamentary election this year.