Russia hits Navalny with new charge that could add to jail term

FILE PHOTO: Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny takes 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) -Russian authorities announced a new criminal charge against Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Wednesday, the latest move in a crackdown ahead of September's parliamentary election that could add as much as three years to his prison term.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's fiercest domestic critic, is serving a 2-1/2-year sentence for parole violations he calls trumped up. He was arrested after flying back from Germany where he had recovered from a nerve agent poisoning.