Russian state investigators said they had opened a new criminal case against Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, accusing him of fraudulently spending public donations to organisations he controls on his personal needs, writes Reuters.

Russia’s Investigative Committee accused Navalny and unnamed individuals of large-scale fraud, saying he and others had spent 356 million roubles (USD 4.81 million) donated to organizations he controls on their personal needs.

That, it said in a statement, included purchasing goods and services and covering personal expenses such as overseas trips.

Navalny responded to the case on Twitter, saying it was fabricated and looked like a hysterical action ordered by Putin. He said he had predicted that the authorities would seek to jail him after failing to kill him.