Russian opposition leader and Vladimir Putin critic, Alexei Navalny has been transferred to a dreaded “torture” prison notorious for sexual violence, it is believed, writes Daily Star.

Navalny has disappeared from Pokrov penal colony where he was serving 11 years for alleged fraud and contempt of court cases but is no longer there. He is now thought to be locked up at Melekhovo, a strict regime maximum security penal colony known for regular brutal beatings and the rape of male inmates.

Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s chief of staff, said on Telegram that Navalny’s lawyer had tried to visit him at Pokrov but was told “There is no such convict”.

"Where Alexei is now, and which colony he is being taken to, we don"t know," he said.

It has since emerged that Navalny has been transferred into Russia’s most feared jail.

The move to the “hell” jail is linked to the start of a new 9 year sentence seen as politically-motivated by the Russian opposition and the West.