A Moscow court on Wednesday said it had granted a request by investigators for the arrest of Leonid Volkov, one of the closest allies of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the Interfax news agency reported.

Volkov, who oversees Navalny's regional headquarters, has angered the authorities by organising anti-Kremlin protests from his base in Lithuania, demanding the release of Navalny, who was detained last month.