Judge refuses to free Putin critic from jail

MOSCOW — A Russian court on Thursday rejected an appeal by opposition leader Alexei Navalny for his release from jail, while authorities detained several of his

allies and warned social media companies about promoting more protests after tens of thousands rallied across the country last weekend demanding his freedom.

“You won’t succeed in scaring tens of millions of people who have been robbed by that government,” Navalny said.

Navalny, 44, the best-known critic of President Vladimir Putin’s

government, was arrested Jan. 17 upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from nerveagent poisoning.

Joseph Eid / AFP via Getty Images A boy confronts Lebanese security forces amid an ongoing protest over pandemic response and a chronic economic crisis.