Merkel criticizes Kremlin over Navalny ahead of Russia visit

Ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Russia on Friday, where she will meet President Vladimir Putin, the German government has renewed its criticism of Moscow's treatment of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, reported dpa on Thursday.

"This still unresolved case is a serious strain on relations with Russia," government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin on Wednesday.

Seibert was cautious when asked about the chances of resolving the dispute over the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea natural gas pipeline during the chancellor's trips, to Moscow on Friday and to the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Sunday.

The Baltic Sea pipeline is nearly complete and will bring Russian gas to Germany - bypassing Ukraine, which relies on gas transit revenues.

Merkel is meeting Putin on the anniversary of the poisoning of Navalny a year ago. Many questions Germany has in connection to the case remain unanswered, Seibert said, adding that Navalny had been unjustly imprisoned and that new charges were being brought against him.