Previously reported as missing, Navalny's attorney announces his departure from Russia

An attorney representing Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Alexander Fedulov, whom Navalny associates reported being unable to contact on Monday afternoon, has said on Instagram that he has left Russia.

“The situation has taken a strange turn. The arrest of our colleagues who defended Navalny has brought substantial changes to the work of attorneys who remain free. The enormous amount of work, the number of court cases, and the current situation have necessitated adjustments in the ongoing protection of our client’s interests. This is what made it necessary for me to leave Russia,” Fedulov wrote. He did not disclose his current location.

Navalny's team reported earlier on Oct. 16 that Fedulov did not show up at Navalny's hearing in the penal colony as scheduled and that his telephone appeared to have been switched off.

Fedulov's father and sister told the Russian independent news outlet Verstka they do not know his whereabouts.

On Oct. 13, three of Navalny’s lawyers — Igor Sergunin, Alexey Liptser, and Vadim Kobzev — were detained for at least two months on suspicion of being involved with an “extremist organization.”

Russian authorities detain Navalny’s lawyers after home raids

Russian law enforcement detained three of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s lawyers on suspicion of belonging to “an extremist group,” Navalny’s spokesperson Kira Yarmysh reported on Oct. 13.

The Kyiv IndependentDinara Khalilova