Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany, has praised Alexei Navalny, a jailed Russian opposition politician who was poisoned by Russian officials two years ago. Navalny is also a vocal critic of the Russian government and a major advocate for the country’s want for free speech. Olaf Scholz denounced the Russian’s attempts to clamp down on freedom of speech.

"The war that Russia started against Ukraine is a war that also has consequences for Russia. Freedom and democracy were already endangered before. But now, freedom of expression is much more endangered and many fear to say their own opinion."

Olaf Scholz said, adding that Navalny was “fighting for his belief that one lives best in a democracy and state governed by the rule of law.”

Alexei Navalny is currently serving nearly 12 years in prison after being found guilty of violating parole, fraud, and contempt of court charges. Navalny has repeatedly claimed the charges were fabricated and politically motivated in order to suppress his own political ambitions.

In 2021, Alexei Navalny returned to Russia from Germany and was immediately imprisoned. Testing conducted in Germany showed that Navalny was poisoned in Siberia with a nerve agent used in Soviet Russia. However, the Russian government and its officials have denied attempting to kill Alexei Navalny.