Berlin, Aug 21 : Europe and the US marked the second anniversary of the poisoning of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, drawing connections between his plight and Moscow's crackdown on those who dare to speak out against the war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called the Russian dissident and fierce Kremlin critic "a courageous man," saying he stands for the principles "that offer good prospects for many citizens of Russia". Navalny narrowly survived an attempt to poison him on Russian soil with the chemical agent Novichok on August 20, 2020, for which he blames Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the Kremlin denies involvement. After recovering in Germany, where the country's then Chancellor Angela Merkel visited him at Berlin's Charite hospital, Navalny returned to Russia in January 2021, only to be arrested on arrival. He is now incarcerated in a penal colony, following a trial denounced by the West as politically motivated, dpa news agency reported. Scholz said Navalny's case shows that "freedom and democracy were endangered" in Russia even before Moscow launched its war on Ukraine in February. "But now freedom of expression is even more threatened and many are afraid to speak their minds (in Russia)," he added. "That's why it's so important to think about Alexei Navalny," he said in a video message. In Brussels, the European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell said "the EU continues to condemn in the strongest possible terms the attempt to assassinate Navalny through poisoning using a military chemical nerve agent of the 'Novichok' group." "We call on the Russian Federation to abide by their commitments under the Chemical Weapons Conventions to investigate it in full transparency and without further delay, and to fully cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)," he added. The 46-year-old Navalny is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence in a penal colony for alleged fraud. The dissident is viewed as a political prisoner, with his jailing criticised as retribution for his ongoing criticism of the Russian authorities. Washington reaffirmed its "solidarity" with Navalny and demanded his "immediate release". "It is no coincidence that the Kremlin's aggression in Ukraine has been accompanied by intensified repression at home," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. "The Kremlin seeks to prevent the people of Russia from knowing about the atrocities its forces are inflicting on Ukrainian civilians, and also from learning about the needless Russian military casualties for the sake of this unjust war of choice," Price added. /IANS