In the new controversial trial against the imprisoned Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, the public prosecutor's office has requested 13 years in prison.
Prosecutor Nadezhda Tikhonova also called for a fine of 1.2 million rubles (9,000 euros) to be imposed in the case of alleged fraud, which was criticized as a political staging.
Navalny's team spoke of new evidence of the arbitrariness of the judiciary in Russia.
"We said that Putin wants to keep Navalny in prison forever," said opposition spokeswoman Kira Jarmysh.
Navalny is the harshest critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This time, Navalnyj has to answer for alleged misappropriation of funds for his anti-corruption foundation, which has since been banned, and for insulting a judge.
According to his team, Navalny faces up to 15 years in prison.
The court refused to move the trial to the Russian capital Moscow, which is around 100 kilometers away.
The 45-year-old Kremlin opponent said in court that those who commissioned the proceedings were afraid that everyone would then be able to see that the charges were fabricated.
However, several journalists found themselves in the penal camp in Pokrov in the Vladimir region, as reported by the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta", which is critical of the Kremlin.
Jarmysch said that Putin was taking revenge on Navalny with the procedure "after he failed to kill him".
The Kremlin opponent barely survived an assassination attempt with the chemical warfare agent Novichok in August 2020.
The President denied involvement.
The EU had imposed sanctions on Russia for the attack.
Navalnyj returned to Russia a year ago after recovering in Germany, where Merkel had visited him at the Charité in Berlin.
He was arrested on January 17, 2021 at Moscow Airport for allegedly violating conditions in another criminal case during his recovery.