A Russian court rejected an appeal Thursday to overturn the 30-day detention of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny ahead of a hearing next month over whether he should face jail time for a years-old fraud case.
Navalny appeared by video link at the court in Khimki, on the outskirts of Moscow. He continues to be held at the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center in the northeast of the capital.
The opposition activist was ordered to spend 30 days in custody during a surprise hearing on January 18.
He'd been detained a day earlier following his arrival from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from Novichok poisoning he blamed on the Russian government. The Kremlin repeatedly denied any involvement.