Russia: More than 1,600 detainees protest against the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny

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Hundreds of thousands demonstrated today (Saturday) in 66 cities across Russia in protest of the arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. According to Reuters, police have so far arrested 1,614 protesters after confronting the forces. The large number of protesters in many cases prevented the dispersal of the demonstrations.

Russia: Huge demonstrations for the release of a villain // Photo: Reuters

In the cities of Vladivostok and Irkutsk in Siberia, tens of thousands of protesters took part in a loud street protest, in freezing cold. In Yakutsk, another center of protest, 52 degrees were measured.

The crowd in Moscow // Photo: API
In the capital Moscow, police arrested many of Navalny’s staff in order to prevent them from leading the demonstrations. According to a Reuters news agency, local police arrested Lyubov Sobol, an ally of Navalny, during a rally in central Moscow. Julia Navalny, the wife of the opposition man who came to the main focus of the demonstrations in the capital, was also arrested.
Violent clashes in Moscow // Photo: AFP

Clashes with riot police took place in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. In some places the protesters used pepper spray to defend themselves from the police.

Riot Police forces in Yekaterinburg // Photo: AP

Reuters reported at least 40,000 protesters in Moscow. In contrast, the Russian Interior Ministry reported much smaller numbers: according to authorities, only 4,000 people are protesting in the capital.

As mentioned, thousands of people confirmed their participation on social media, despite the Kremlin’s demand that the networks remove the events.

Arrest of a demonstrator in Omsk // Photo: AP

Alexei Navalny was arrested on Sunday after returning to Russia from lengthy medical treatment in Berlin. Navalny has recovered from a failed assassination attempt by the Russian security organization FSB, which used Novichuk military nerve gas. Details of the assassination attempt, including the names of members of the assassination squad, were published by the case file linking site.

Navalny’s arrest was accompanied by allegations that he violated the conditional sentence imposed on him in 2014, when he left Russia for Germany in order to receive life-saving treatment. Following his arrest, Navalny’s organization published a comprehensive investigation that exposed the corruption and failures surrounding the construction of the abandoned Palace of Glory of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea region.

Participated in the preparation of the article: Eden Ronen

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