Alexey Navalny, the prominent Russian opposition leader, was handed a sentence of 19 years in prison in a verdict condemned by his supporters and dozens of countries around the world. This sentencing came after charges of alleged embezzlement from a Russian fertilizer company as a part of its parent company, which has been labelled as politically motivated. Navalny and his allies say the message is a sign of Putin’s authoritarianism, while the Kremlin denies any political contribution to the verdict.