A Russian court has sentenced journalist Olga Komleva to 12 years in prison on “extremism” charges over her links to an opposition group, as the Kremlin intensifies its crackdown on dissent.

On Tuesday, Komleva, 46, was found guilty of “extremist” ties for her past volunteer work with the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s banned political party and for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian army in her reporting on the war in Ukraine.

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The verdict underscores Moscow’s expanding repression, which now targets not only active critics but also those who were once affiliated with opposition groups.

Independent outlet Mediazona reported that Komleva had volunteered for Navalny’s party before it was outlawed in 2021. She later worked for the independent media outlet RusNews, covering antigovernment protests and Russia’s military assault on Ukraine.

The Kremlin has escalated its decade-long clampdown on independent media amid its campaign in Ukraine by imposing sweeping censorship laws, effectively banning any criticism of the military.

A district court in the central Russian city of Ufa “found that the defendant participated in the activities of an extremist community” and “spread deliberately false information about the actions of the armed forces,” it said in a statement.

“The court found the defendant guilty and sentenced her to 12 years in prison,” it added.

The journalist did not admit guilt on either charge.

Komleva was seen smiling and waving from inside a glass defendants’ box after she heard the verdict, and said “I love you all” to a group of people who came to support her, according to a video published by RusNews.

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Komleva has diabetes and struggled to receive medication while in pre-trial detention, Mediazona said.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s main opponent, who died in an Arctic penal colony under unclear circumstances last year, was declared an “extremist” by Russian authorities in 2021.

Russia banned Navalny’s organisations in the same fashion shortly before launching its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has ruthlessly targeted those it deems to have links to him.