Aleksei Navalny, 36, had already had a case against him based on the same events closed earlier this year after Kirov prosecutors found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The New York Times reports that, if the case progresses to an arrest or sentence, it will mark a change in strategy by President Vladimir Putin, who has mainly preferred short-term detentions and media restrictions rather than criminal prosecution.

Political decision

Leading Russian political analyst Gleb Pavlovky told the newspaper: ‘A political decision has been made, though I don’t know for how long… Maybe the people who made this decision think it is a short period of intimidation, which will be followed by a return to more velvet methods. But now there is a regime in which, given a range of choices, they are selecting the harshest… The system is informing us that it is changing the rules.’
Mr Navalny -- who reported on corruption connected to the Kremlin on his blog and Twitter feed – was accused by the State Investigative Committee of organising a scheme to steal timber, resulting in losses of $500,000 to a regional budget. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Absurd and strange

‘What has happened is absolutely absurd and very strange, because they have completely changed the story behind the charge,’ Mr Navalny told reporters. ‘I cannot imagine how they will find a way to prove it. But they will, I guess.’
Mr Navalny’s lawyer, Vadim Kobzev, said he expected his client to plead not guilty and to receive a sentence of approximately seven years.