Russian court starts trial of opposition leader Alexei Navalny

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, 2nd left sitting between his lawyers on a TV screen in a courtroom (AP)

A Russian court has opened a new trial of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny that could keep him behind bars for decades.

The trial is taking place at a maximum security prison in Melekhovo, 150 miles east of Moscow, where Navalny – the Kremlin’s arch foe – is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court.