A trial begins for lawyers who once represented the Kremlin's late foe Alexei Navalny

PETUSHKI, Russia (AP) — Three lawyers who once represented the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny went on trial Thursday in Russia, part of the Kremlin's unrelenting crackdown on dissent that has reached levels unseen since Soviet times.

Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser were arrested in October 2023 on charges of involvement with extremist groups, as Navalny's networks were deemed by authorities.

The case was widely seen as a way to increase pressure on the opposition to discourage defense lawyers from taking political cases.

At the time, Navalny already was serving a 19-year prison term on several criminal convictions, including extremism. That charge stemmed from a 2021 ruling that outlawed his organizations — the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a network of regional offices — as extremist groups.

That ruling, which exposed anyone involved with the organizations to prosecution, was condemned by Kremlin critics as politically motivated and designed to stifle Navalny's activities.

According to Navalny’s allies, authorities accused the lawyers of using their position to pass information from him to his team.

Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner and outspoken opponent of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested in 2021 upon his return from Germany, where he was recuperating from a nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was ordered to serve 2 1/2 years in prison.

After two more trials, his sentence was extended to 19 years. He and his allies said the charges were politically motivated and accused the Kremlin of seeking to jail him for life.

In December 2023, Navalny was moved from a penal colony in the Vladimir region east of Moscow to one above the Arctic Circle, where he died in February at the age of 47 under still-unexplained circumstances. His widow Yulia Navalnaya and members of his team alleged he was killed on orders by the Kremlin. Officials have rejected the accusations.

The trial of the three lawyers, who face up to six years in prison, also is taking place in the Vladimir region, in the town of Petushki, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Moscow. The court refused a request to hold the proceedings in the capital, where the three were held in pre-trial detention.

Russian media and rights activists reported in June that the three were transferred to a detention center in the Vladimir region.

The judge in the Petushki District Court on Thursday ordered the proceedings closed to the public, overruling objections from defense attorneys. Before the session was closed, the three appeared in a defendants' cage in the courtroom.

Two other Navalny lawyers, Olga Mikhailova and Alexander Fedulov, are on a wanted list but no longer live in Russia. Mikhailova, who had defended him for a decade, said she was charged in absentia with extremism.

For many Russian political prisoners, regular visits from lawyers — especially in remote regions — are a lifeline that keeps their loved ones informed about their well-being, as well as enabling them to push back against abuse by prison officials.

Kobzev, Liptser and Sergunin have been deemed to be political prisoners, according to human rights advocates from Memorial, Russia's most prominent rights group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. The group demands their immediate release.

Former Navalny's lawyers Vadim Kobzev, center, and Igor Sergunin, right, appear in the cage during a court session in Petushki, Vladimir region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Former Navalny's lawyers Igor Sergunin, from left, Alexei Liptser and Vadim Kobzev sit in the cage during a court session in Petushki, Vladimir region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Former Navalny's lawyers Igor Sergunin, left, Alexei Liptser, center, and Vadim Kobzev, right, sit in the cage during a court session in Petushki, Vladimir region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Former Navalny's lawyer Igor Sergunin sits in the cage during a court session in Petushki, Vladimir region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Former Navalny's lawyers Igor Sergunin, left, Alexei Liptser, center, and Vadim Kobzev, right, appear in the cage during a court session in Petushki, Vladimir region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs are signing Kareem Hunt to their practice squad, reuniting with a running back who first achieved stardom with them before video of him assaulting a woman led to his release, a person familiar with their decision told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the team had not yet announced the move.

The Chiefs brought Hunt in for a workout after Isiah Pacheco, their top running back, sustained a right ankle injury in Sunday's win over Cincinnati that could keep him out the majority of the season. They also have Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the non-football illness list for at least two more games, leaving them short-handed at the position heading to Atlanta this weekend.

Undrafted rookie Carson Steele and journeyman Samaje Perine are expected to get the majority of snaps, though the Chiefs also have Keaontay Ingram and Emani Bailey that they could promote from the practice squad to provide some depth.

That is where Hunt is likely to reside for at least a couple of weeks, until he learns enough of the playbook to contribute.

The Chiefs drafted him in the third round in 2017 out of Toledo, and he immediately made an impact, running for a league-high 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. He came back the following season, the first with Patrick Mahomes as the starter at quarterback, and ran for 824 yards and seven touchdowns through the first 11 games.

In late November, video surfaced that showed Hunt shoving a woman to the ground and kicking her in the hallway of a Cleveland hotel. The Chiefs released him, though no charges were filed when the woman stopped cooperating with authorities.

The Browns signed him in February, and Hunt served an eight-game suspension at the start of the 2018 season for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy. He went on to run for for 179 yards and two touchdowns and caught 37 passes for 285 yards and another score, earning a two-year, $13.25 million contract extension to remain a part of the Cleveland backfield.

Hunt missed part of the 2021 season with a calf injury and fell behind Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford in the rotation, and he did not re-sign with Cleveland after last season. He wound up spending five years there, running for 2,285 yards and five TDs.

The Chiefs are chasing a record third consecutive Super Bowl title this season. They opened with a 27-20 win over Baltimore that came down to an incompletion by the Ravens in the end zone on the final play of the game. Then on Sunday, they rallied to beat the Bengals 26-25 when Harrison Butker kicked a 51-yard field goal with no time left.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, right, runs with the ball as Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt (57) defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks to the media after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 26-25. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

FILE - Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (27) scores a touchdown ahead of Los Angeles Rams free safety Lamarcus Joyner (20) as Chiefs offensive guard Cameron Erving (75) looks on during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)