Russia opens new criminal case against Kremlin critic Navalny, threatens more jail time

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny attends a court hearing in Moscow, Russia February 20, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia sharply escalated a campaign against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, opening a new criminal case against President Putin's fiercest domestic critic that could allow the authorities to hand him another decade in jail.

In a case condemned by the West, Navalny, 45, is already serving two-and-a-half years in prison for parole violations he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions.