Russia arrests hundreds in crackdown on Navalny allies

Moscow, Sunday Russian police detained hundreds of protesters on Sunday as activists took to the streets across the country demanding the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny. Security forces detained Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Navalny, at a protest in Moscow, his supporters said on social media. OVD-Info, a monitoring group, said more than 300 people were detained in the capital. Navalnaya was also detained at a similar demonstration in support of her husband last week. The first rallies took place in the Far East, including the port city of Vladivostok where protesters gathered in the city’s central square despite police closing it off ahead of the rally. “The desire to live in a free country is stronger than the fear of being detained,” said Andrei, 25, who declined to give his last name. Footage from Vladivostok showed dozens of protesters escaping the police on the frozen waters of the Amur Bay and circle dancing. More than 100 arrests were made there. Videos posted online showed demonstrators being hauled into buses by police. The mostly young people were seen dancing and chanting: “Putin is a thief,” and “Freedom for Russia.” According to independent monitors, about 1,500 people were detained in more than a dozen cities. Interior ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk denounced the demonstrators. Yulia, a 40-year-old protester in Moscow, said she had come to the protests despite having a panic attack the night before because of worrying about repercussions for taking part. “I understand that I live in a totally lawless state. In a police state, with no independent courts. In a country ruled by corruption. I would like to live differently,” she said, only giving her first name. Despite authorities ramping up pressure on the opposition with arrests, Navalny aides called for new nationwide demonstrations ahead of the opposition leader’s trial set to start on Tuesday. In an unprecedented move, police in the capital announced the closure of seven metro stations and said movement of pedestrians would be limited in the city centre. Near-fatal poisoning Navalny, 44, was arrested on January 17 after flying back to Russia from Germany, where he had spent five months recovering from nerve-agent poisoning. His detention sparked nationwide protests in about 100 cities last week. Nearly 4,000 people were reported arrested. Sunday’s Moscow rally will take place outside the headquarters of the Federal Security Service, Russia’s main security agency, which Navalny said carried out the near-fatal poisoning attack on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin denies the allegation. In an unprecedented move, police in the capital announced the closure of seven metro stations and said movement of pedestrians would be limited in the city centre. - Agencies

Russia arrests hundreds in crackdown on Navalny allies

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Russia arrests hundreds in crackdown on Navalny allies

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