Russian court orders arrest in absentia of Navalny ally Zhdanov

FILE PHOTO: Russian opposition politicians Alexei Navalny, Lyubov Sobol and Ivan Zhdanov take part in a rally to mark the 5th anniversary of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov's murder and to protest against proposed amendments to the country's constitution, in Moscow, Russia February 29, 2020. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court on Tuesday ordered the arrest in absentia of Ivan Zhdanov, an ally of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Zhdanov was the director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation which has been declared "extremist" and in effect outlawed by the authorities, a move his allies saw as part of a wider crackdown on the opposition.