Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, along with his brother and eight allies, were added to Russia's registry of terrorists and extremists by Russian authorities.
Russia, which, according to the Associated Press, is cracking down on supporters of the opposition, independent media and human rights activists, added Navalny and the others to the registry on January 25.
Along with Navalny, his brother Oleg, top aides, Lyubov Sobol and Gregory Alburov, Vyacheslav Gimadi, Leonid Volkov, Ivan Zhdanov, Lilia Chanysheva and Ruslan Shaveddinov were also added to the list. Volkov and Zhdanov and operating Navalny's organizations from exile, according to The Moscow Times.
Russia's Federal Financial Monitoring Service added Navalny and the others to the registry, which requires their bank accounts to be frozen, according to Russian law.
Navalny was arrested over a year ago when he was detained upon his return to Moscow after spending five months in Germany recovering from being poisoned, which he has blamed on Russian authorities, who have denied the claim.
Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg were convicted of fraud in 2014. Oleg Navalny was ordered to serve three and a half years in prison and Alexei Navalny received a suspended sentence.
Upon Alexei Navalny's return to Moscow, he was arrested for violating the terms of his suspended sentence. He received a sentence of two and a half years in prison.
Authorities have also outlawed Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption, as well as the network of regional offices affiliated with Navalny, which were labeled "extremist."
According to The Moscow Times, 22 people are now on the terrorist list, with 12 of them being connected to Navalny.
RadioFreeEurope reported that journalists who have looked into Navalny's poisoning and cited his corruption investigations have been branded "foreign agents." For activists who work with Navalny's organizations, the ruling could have possible lengthy prison terms, according to RadioFreeEurope.
Sobol told the AP she believes the addition of Navalny, herself and other allies were a decision made by the Kremlin.
"There's absolutely no doubt that the decision regarding myself, Navalny and my closest associates and colleagues was made in the Kremlin with personal contribution by Vladimir Putin," Sobol said. "I think he has all matters involving our team under a special control, and it's not a decision made by lower-ranked officials."
The move also comes as Russia has gathered tens of thousands of soldiers along Ukraine's border, preparing for an invasion. U.S. and European allies, through diplomatic talks, have attempted to stall or stop the invasion, but have failed.
In letters exchanged with Simon Shuster, from Time, according to Business Insider, Navalny believes the U.S. is allowing itself to be manipulated by Putin.
"Time and again the West falls into Putin's elementary traps," Navalny wrote in the letters. "He issues some insane, laughable demands, like these latest ones, about how he and Biden need to sit down in a smoke-filled room and decide the fate of Europe like we're back in 1944."
The U.S. has warned Russia it will face "severe economic sanctions" if it invades Ukraine. Navalny, however, is urging the U.S. to impose sanctions that would "hit Putin where it hurts," according to Business Insider.
"In Russia, we're all tired of rolling our eyes, watching the U.S. impose sanctions on some colonels and generals, who don't even have money abroad," Navalny wrote. "These are just agents of Putin's will."
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