A close associate of Alexei Navalny was jailed for nine years on Monday after being found guilty of “extremism” charges. According to ABC News, Vadim Ostanian, who ran the Siberian office of Navalny’s anti-corruption organization, was guilty in the eyes of the Russian state for organizing an extremist community and belonging to a non-profit that, in the words of the Russian government, “infringes on citizens rights.”    Al Jazeera reported that last month another ally of Navalny Liliya Chanysheva was also found guilty on similar charges and sentenced to seven years in a Russian penal colony. It is highly likely that, like Navalny, Ostanian will not get the chance to appeal his conviction and will languish in prison. All of this further proves that Russia is a mafia state.