EU summons Russia Envoy over blacklisting of its EU Officials,amid Crackdown,organized by Putin Russia Hegemony & Associates,as to continue to loot Russia in the name of Leadership.

EU summons Russia Envoy over blacklisting of its EU Officials,amid Crackdown,organized by Putin Russia Hegemony & Associates,as to continue to loot Russia in the name of Leadership. BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has summoned Russia’s ambassador after Moscow blacklisted eight EU officials in retaliation for the bloc’s decision to impose sanctions over the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. (1 of 1) European Parliament President David Sassoli speaks during a media conference at the European Parliament in Brussels. The European Union has summoned Russia’s ambassador Monday May 3, 2021, after Moscow blacklisted eight EU officials including European Parliament President David Sassoli, in retaliation for the bloc’s decision to impose sanctions over the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP, FILE) May 03, 2021 The Russian list announced Friday includes European Parliament President David Sassoli and Vera Jourova, a vice president of the European Commission whose brief includes rule of law issues and disinformation. European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said that Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov would meet in Brussels later Monday with senior EU officials who “will convey to him our strong condemnation and rejection of this decision.” Stano said the Russian-imposed travel bans are “obviously very politically motivated and lack any legal justification. They are groundless.” He said that “this all shows that Russia is determined to continue the hostile track of confrontation.” Russia’s foreign ministry has accused the EU of wanting to punish Moscow for its “independent foreign and domestic policies” and of trying to limit its development with “unlawful restrictions.” EU foreign ministers will discuss tensions with Russia when they meet on May 10. The 27-nation bloc’s heads of state and government will also take up the issue at their summit on May 25. The EU in March imposed sanctions on six Russian officials involved in the imprisonment of Navalny, who is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vociferous opponent. Navalny was arrested in January upon his return from Germany where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin — accusations that Russian officials reject. European labs have confirmed that Navalny was poisoned. ----------------------------------- Top ally announces closing Navalny's offices amid Crackdown,organized by Putin Russia Hegemony & Associates,as to continue to loot Russia in the name of Leadership. MOSCOW (AP) — A top ally of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Thursday that the network of the politician's offices in Russia is being closed as authorities seek to have it and Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption outlawed as Extremist Groups. 1 of 12) In this photo provided by the Babuskinsky District Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on TV screen gesturing during a hearing on his charges for defamation in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. Navalny appeared in court via video link from prison Thursday for an appeal against his conviction and fine for defaming a World War II veteran. Navalny was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (dollars 11,500). (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP) (2 of 12) In this photo provided by the Babuskinsky District Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on TV screens gesturing during a hearing on his charges for defamation in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. Navalny appeared in court via video link from prison Thursday for an appeal against his conviction and fine for defaming a World War II veteran. Navalny was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (dollars 11,500). (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP) (3 of 12) In this photo provided by the Babuskinsky District Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, Wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Yulia, sitting front left, attends a court session with Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. Navalny appeared in court via videolink from prison Thursday for an appeal against his conviction and fine for defaming a World War II veteran. Navalny was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (dollars 11,500). (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP) (4 of 12) A police officer speaks on the phone near to graffiti of Russia's imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. (5 of 12) Leonid Volkov, a top strategist for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, addresses the media in Berlin, Germany. Volkov on Thursday April 29, 2021, announced closing the network of Navalny's regional offices after an injunction ordering the Foundation for Fighting Corruption to suspend their activities pending a court ruling, as authorities seek to outlaw it as an extremist group. (6 of 12) Russian security officers walk at the Foundation for Fighting Corruption office in Moscow, Russia. A court in Moscow has ruled Tuesday April 27, 2021, to restrict activities of an organization founded by Russia's imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, pending a ruling on whether it should be outlawed as an extremist group. The Moscow City Court's decision to restrict activities of Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption came amid a sweeping crackdown on President Vladimir Putin most prominent critic and his allies. (7 of 12) In this photo takes from a video provided by the Babuskinsky District Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is seen on TV screens during a hearing on charges of defamation in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. Navalny appeared in court via video link from prison Thursday for an appeal against his conviction and fine for defaming a World War II veteran. Navalny was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (dollars 11,500). (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP) (8 of 12) In this photo taken from a video provided by the Babuskinsky District Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, Wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Yulia, centre, attends a court session with Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. Navalny appeared in court via videolink from prison Thursday for an appeal against his conviction and fine for defaming a World War II veteran. Navalny was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (dollars 11,500). (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP) (9 of 12) In this photo taken from a video provided by the Babuskinsky District Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, Wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Yulia, attends a court session with Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appearing by video link, in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. Navalny appeared in court via video link from prison Thursday for an appeal against his conviction and fine for defaming a World War II veteran. Navalny was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (the equivalent of dollars 11,500). (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP) (10 of 12) In this photo provided by the Babuskinsky District Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears on TV screens via a video link from prison, during a hearing on his charges for defamation, in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia. The politician was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (the equivalent of $11,500). It was Navalny's first public appearance since his transfer to a penal colony last month. (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP) April 29, 2021 Also on Thursday, Navalny made his first public appearance in weeks, facing a court via video link from behind bars. The politician looked gaunt after a three-week hunger strike, but still was able to slam the Kremlin in an emotional speech. His embattled team has faced a major challenge this month. The Moscow prosecutor's office petitioned a court to declare both the regional offices and Navalny's anti-corruption organization as extremist groups, a label that would outlaw their activities, expose members and supporters to lengthy prison terms. Leonid Volkov, who as Navalny’s top strategist runs the regional offices, said Thursday that preserving the network of regional “headquarters” in its current state “is impossible” because of the extremism charges but rebranding them wouldn’t help either. “Unfortunately, it is impossible to work in these conditions. We’re officially dismantling the network of Navalny’s headquarters,” Volkov said on the messaging app Telegram. Volkov's statement comes amid a sweeping crackdown on Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic, and his organizations. The politician is currently in prison, and dozens of his aides and associates have been under arrest, targeted for raids by law enforcement, or facing criminal charges. While imprisoned, Navalny said he developed severe back pain and numbness in his limbs, and he spent more than three weeks on a hunger strike to protest authorities refusing to allow his doctor see him. Instead, they moved him to another prison with a hospital ward. On Thursday, Navalny appeared in court via a video link from prison for an appeal of his conviction and fine for defaming a World War II veteran. The politician was convicted in February and ordered to pay a fine of 850-thousand rubles (the equivalent of $11,500). Even though the quality of the video link was poor, it was visibly clear that the politician has lost a lot of weight. His head was shaven clean, and he wore a prison jacket with a black T-shirt under it, and glasses. Navalny took an active part in the court hearing and spoke energetically despite his gaunt appearance. During a break, he asked his wife, Yulia, who was present at the hearing, to stand up so he could see her. He told her he’s now eating several spoons of porridge each day — part of winding down his hunger strike. “When we saw each other during visitation (in the colony), I weighed two kilograms more — it was 74 (163 lbs.) and now it’s 72 (159 lbs.),” Navalny said. “72 suits you better than 74,” Yulia responded with a smile. In his statement to the court, Navalny referred to Putin as “the emperor with no clothes” and charged that Russia under his rule “continues to degrade every year.” Shortly after his emotional speech, the judge rejected the appeal. Navalny's foundation and regional network are also subjects of legal proceedings. Earlier this week, the Moscow prosecutor’s office issued an injunction ordering the offices to suspend their activities pending the court ruling on whether to ban them as extremist groups, and a court in Moscow imposed restrictions on the Foundation for Fighting Corruption. The foundation's director, Ivan Zhdanov, said the organization will continue to work despite the restrictions. Navalny set up the network of offices in dozens of regions when he was campaigning to run against Putin in the 2018 presidential election. He eventually was barred from running but kept the infrastructure in place. The regional “headquarters,” as the team called them, allowed Navalny to spread his reach beyond Moscow and gain influence across Russia's vast geography. They helped him challenge the government by running their own investigations of graft by local officials and recruiting local activists, some of whom later ran for public office themselves. They were also instrumental in organizing nationwide protests in his support and implementing the Smart Voting strategy — a project designed to promote candidates who are most likely to defeat those from the Kremlin’s dominant United Russia party in various elections. In 2019, Smart Voting helped opposition candidates win 20 of 45 seats on the Moscow city council, and regional elections last year saw United Russia lose its majority in legislatures in three cities. In a video statement Thursday, Volkov assured supporters that Navalny's team wasn't giving up and that most of the regional offices will continue to exist as independent political entities. “The networks of Navalny's headquarters doesn't exist anymore, but there are dozens of strong and tough regional politicians, thousands of their supporters, there are strong and independent political organizations which will work on investigations and elections, public campaigns and rallies. You will help them, and they will succeed,” Volkov said. In Perm, a city of 1 million about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) east of Moscow, Sergei Ukhov on Thursday unscrewed a plaque saying “Alexei Navalny's Headquarters” off a building wall. Ukhov, a coordinator of Navalny's now closed office in Perm, told The Associated Press that shutting it down was “a great disappointment —- four years of my life have passed here.” “Of course, for me it’s not the end," Ukhov added, echoing Volkov's sentiment. "I will continue my personal political career, and I will work on the elections, which will be held in September, so I look to the future with hope, no matter what.” Navalny was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin — accusations that Russian officials reject. His arrest triggered protests across Russia that proved to be the biggest show of defiance in years. But they didn’t stop authorities from putting Navalny on trial for violating the terms of a suspended sentence while he was in Germany. The sentence stemmed from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has characterized as politically motivated. He was ordered to serve 2½ years in prison and last month was transferred to a penal colony notorious for its harsh conditions. Some of his top allies were slapped with criminal charges and placed under house arrest, and dozens of his associates in the regions were targeted with detentions and raids. The case against Navalny’s foundation and regional offices is scheduled to be heard by the Moscow City Court on May 17. It remains unclear what evidence authorities have against the organizations because some of the case files have been classified as secret. Ivan Pavlov, the lawyer representing Navalny’s organizations in court, said after a preliminary hearing Thursday that the defense team has filed a lawsuit to declassify the files. He said a motion also was filed to allow Navalny to participate in the court proceedings, “since his name is mentioned on every page of the lawsuit.” Pavlov also revealed that a criminal case has been launched against Navalny, Volkov and Zhdanov on charges of creating an organization that infringes on people’s rights, a criminal offense punishable by up to four years in prison. Alexander Roslyakov contributed to this report. -------------------------------------- Russia targets lawyers over media comments on the Treason Case,organized by Putin Russia Hegemony & Associates,as to continue to loot Russia in the name of Leadership. MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities have launched a criminal probe against a lawyer representing a former Russian journalist accused of treason and the team of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accusing him of disclosing information related to a police investigation. (1 of 9) Russian lawyer Ivan Pavlov, center, surrounded his colleagues gestures speaking to journalists at the Russia's Investigative Committee in Moscow, Russia, Friday, April 30, 2021. Russian authorities have launched a criminal probe against Pavlov, who is representing a former Russian journalist accused of treason and the team of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accusing him of disclosing information related to a police investigation. Pavlov told reporters that his Moscow hotel room was raided on Friday morning and he was summoned to Russia's Investigative Committee for interrogation as a suspect in a criminal case. (2 of 9) Russian lawyer Ivan Pavlov, center, surrounded his colleagues gestures speaking to journalists at the Russia's Investigative Committee in Moscow, Russia, Friday, April 30, 2021. Russian authorities have launched a criminal probe against Pavlov, who is representing a former Russian journalist accused of treason and the team of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accusing him of disclosing information related to a police investigation. Pavlov told reporters that his Moscow hotel room was raided on Friday morning and he was summoned to Russia's Investigative Committee for interrogation as a suspect in a criminal case ( April 30, 2021 St. Petersburg-based lawyer Ivan Pavlov told reporters Friday he was formally charged with the criminal offense, punishable by a fine, community service or detention of up to three months, after his Moscow hotel room was raided on Friday morning and he was summoned to Russia's Investigative Committee for interrogation. Pavlov appeared in court later Friday and was ordered not to contact witnesses in the case or to use the Internet or a cellphone. Pavlov's colleague, Yevgeny Smirnov, had reported that the lawyer was detained. But Pavlov's spokesperson, Yelizaveta Alexandrova-Zorina, later clarified to The Associated Press that Pavlov formally wasn't arrested even though he was de-facto detained in his hotel room during the search. The Team 29 association of lawyers that Pavlov heads said on social media that its office in St. Petersburg, the apartments of one of its employees and of Pavlov's wife, and Pavlov's house in the countryside were also raided Friday. Opposition supporters, independent journalists and human rights activists have been facing increasing government pressure in Russia. Raids targeting Pavlov and his team elicited outrage in the Russian legal and human rights community, with prominent lawyers and legal aid groups calling on authorities to stop “using the law as a tool of pressure on lawyers.” Pavlov said the accusations against him were connected to his defense of Ivan Safronov, a former Russian journalist charged with treason in a case that has been widely seen as retribution for his journalistic work. He said he was targeted because he shared information about the case with the media. “The investigators maintain that I committed a crime when I told you, reporters, that your colleague is being unlawfully held in Lefortovo (pre-trial detention center) on absurd accusations,” the lawyer said. Safronov, who wrote about military and security issues for a decade before becoming an adviser to Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin, was detained last year and accused of passing military secrets to Czech intelligence. Many journalists questioned the charges, and his former newspaper rejected them as “absurd.” Safronov's former colleagues alleged that authorities may have sought revenge for his reporting that exposed Russian military incidents and opaque arms trade deals. Safronov has remained in pre-trial detention since July. Pavlov had been due to appear in a Moscow court on Friday at a hearing about extending Safronov's pre-trial detention. The lawyer said police unlawfully seized “almost the entire dossier” of documents related to the case during the hotel raid, including those subject to attorney-client privilege. According to his colleague Smirnov, Pavlov frequently received threats from investigators at Russia's Security Service, or FSB, with an investigator involved in the case against the former journalist allegedly saying to the lawyer, “We're going to do everything to put you behind bars." Pavlov maintained his innocence and said he considered the case against him “revenge” for his work on cases investigated by the FSB. Smirnov told the AP that persecution of Pavlov sends a signal to all lawyers: “Don’t even think about working effectively on criminal cases. Don’t even think about speaking out. Don’t even think about defending people." In August, Russian media reported the FSB had lodged a complaint against Pavlov over his refusal to sign a non-disclosure statement in Safronov's case. Pavlov said he had signed a statement not to disclose state secrets in connection with the case, but no one had asked him to sign a broader non-disclosure statement. The case against Pavlov was opened shortly after he started representing the Foundation for Fighting Corruption, founded by President Vladimir Putin's longtime foe, opposition leader Navalny. This month, the Moscow prosecutor’s office petitioned the Moscow City Court to outlaw Navalny’s foundation and his network of regional offices as extremist groups. The move is part of a sweeping crackdown on Navalny, his allies and his political infrastructure. Navalny is currently serving time in a penal colony outside Moscow. He was arrested in January upon his return from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from a Soviet nerve agent poisoning he blames on the Kremlin. Russian officials have rejected the accusations. European labs have confirmed he was poisoned. Associated Press journalist Anna Frants in Moscow contributed to this report. -----------------------------------  Putin led Russia Kremlin/KGB Hardliners accused US with its Western Allies for the collapse of former Soviet Union Republics,whereby  Putin with his Cohorts strategically nurtured & sponsored European Far Right Chauvinists/White Extremists and US White Extremist Conservatives,as to create Racial Divide Crisis, Racial Inequalities, Economic Disharmony & segregate Race/Class from flourishing Economy. Trump led Extremist Republicans after saying that Obama 8 years were disastrous,but Trump upon his Office assumption, asserted that US Jobs were created and the US Economy was turned around, while the smallest Economy took 2years,to turn it around. ............................................ Experts/Analysts were of opinion Putin Russia KGB Elements secretly organized, sponsored & tele-guided Stranded Mediterranean sea Migrants and Stranded US-Mexico border Migrants, as technical analysis or careful studies of some years back Migrants,could show that past migrants were resourceful, matured & well knowledgeable than present youthful migrants,as many present migrant do not have the required resourceful, maturity & know-how to leave their various Country,as to be able to reach either Mediterranean sea or US-Mexico border. Putin migrant problematic Designs were to inflate the US or West with large Refugee complex problems and create a migrant unsolvable situation where the US or West is portrayed in bad Media light as inhuman or not caring. Western Securities/Agents should be on the field, as to counter and checkmate this Putin Russia Migrant Crisis program as quickly as possible. --------------------------- Soliciting for Maziliteralworks' Donation/any amount or Media laptop/window Computers' Donation, Phone Media Assistance for Mazi Literal Works' Dissemination/Publication.Upon your Response,more info of the US/Canadian Coordinator  will be sent. Visit these published Articles' websites. http://maziliteralworks.wordpress.com http://maziliteralworks.blogspot.com https://medium.com/me/stories/public http://disqus.com/home/channel/mazipatrick/ https://maziliteralworks.tumblr.com https://twitter.com/Maziliteraworks Regards, Mazi Patrick  O., email: akwaba2000@gmail.com Thinker, Writer, Political Strategist, Historian & Psychoanalyst.