In his first news conference since being confirmed as secretary of State, Antony Blinken expressed “deep concern” over the treatment of Alexei Navalny and the broader human rights situation in Russia, writes CNBC.

Last week, Navalny, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, flew to Russia from Berlin, where he had spent nearly half a year recovering since he was allegedly poisoned last summer. He was detained on arrival in Moscow.

“Across the board, as the president has said, we’re reviewing all of these actions that are a deep concern to us whether it is the treatment of Navalny and particularly the apparent use of a chemical weapon in an attempt to assassinate him”, - said Blinken.

“And it remains striking to me, how concerned, and maybe even scared, the Russian government seems to be of one man, Mr. Navalny”, - said Blinken.

The top U.S. diplomat also noted the Biden administration is reviewing the hack on SolarWinds, reports of bounties placed by Russia on American forces in Afghanistan, and potential election interference