Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny speaks during an interview. File photo

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late on Tuesday he was "troubled by dubious new charges" against Alexei Navalny and called on Russian authorities to set the imprisoned Kremlin critic free.

Meanwhile, a new trial against Russian opposition leader Navalny opened on Tuesday at the penal colony where he faces another lengthy prison term, a further step in a yearlong, multi-pronged crackdown on Russia's most ardent Kremlin critic, his allies and other dissenting voices.

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Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's longtime foe, is charged with fraud and contempt of court. His allies denounced the case as an effort by the Kremlin to keep the anti-corruption crusader in prison for as long as possible.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting. File photo

Navalny and his associates "are targeted for their work to shine a light on official corruption," the top American diplomat said on Twitter.

"This time, he goes to trial in a penal colony, out of public view," Blinken added. "Russian authorities should release Alexei Navalny and end their harassment and prosecution of his supporters."

The unusual trial got underway as world leaders are preoccupied with another round of tensions between Russia and the West fueled by fears that Russia plans to invade its ex-Soviet neighbour.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference. File photo

Asked about Navalny at a news conference Tuesday after a round of talks with Putin in the Kremlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed that "his conviction is incompatible with the principles of the rule of law.”

Scholz was vice chancellor in 2020 when Navalny was brought to Germany for treatment for a nerve agent poisoning that the dissident blamed on the Kremlin, accusations that Russian officials have denied.