 Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny appeared in court via video link from prison in Karp, in the Yamalonenets region for the first time since his disappearance in December 2023.Navalny, the most prominent and persistent domestic foe of President Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on an extremism conviction.He had been incarcerated in central Russia's Vladimir region, about 230 kilometers east of Moscow, but supporters said he could not be found beginning December 6, 2023.They said later that he had been traced to a prison colony infamous for severe conditions in the Yamalonenets region, about 1,900 kilometers northeast of Moscow.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday via video link, Navalny noted conditions are much better in the Yamalonenets region than in the IK-6 penal colony in the Vladimir region.Prisoner transfers in Russia often result in contact with inmates being lost for weeks.Navalny's supporters contend the transfer was arranged to keep him out of sight amid Putin's announcement that he will run for another term as president in the March elections.