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Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was arrested at the airport after landing in Moscow on Sunday night. The 44-year-old man was detained at passport control, the opposition Telegram channel reported. The Russian prison system had put him on the hunt because he allegedly violated probation conditions in previous criminal proceedings during his stay in Germany, “repeatedly and systematically,” as authorities said. Navalny must remain in detention until the decision is made; the trial is January 29th.
Austria immediately demanded Navalny’s release. “A vibrant civil society and political opposition are cornerstones of all democratic societies. Austria demands his immediate release and a full and independent investigation into the attack on his life, ”the Foreign Ministry said. Before his arrest, Navalny had insisted on not being afraid. He is innocent. For him, returning to Russia was “the best moment in five months.” Surprisingly, the Russian authorities diverted the flight and let the Berlin plane land at the capital’s Sheremetyevo airport.
Video: ZIB correspondent Paul Krisai reports from Moscow
The flight was diverted
According to the plan, the plane should have arrived at the Vnukovo airport, where hundreds of supporters of the opposition politician had gathered. Many were arrested. Opponent Ilya Yashin criticized the flight deviation and arrests as a “hysterical reaction” from the power apparatus.
Navalny had recovered in Germany from an attack with the Novitschok neurotoxin, which was banned as a chemical weapon. The attack took place on August 20 in the Siberian city of Tomsk. Navalny blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and the FSB national secret service for the assassination. The head of the Kremlin has always rejected it. Regardless of the danger to his life, Navalny declared several times that his place was in Russia and that he wanted to continue his fight against the “Putin system” there.
Among those arrested were Navalny’s closest colleague, lawyer Lyubov Sobol, and other activists. The uniformed men turned away people who wanted to see Navalny. The OMON counter-terrorism unit had taken position with several prisoner transports.
Many supporters, but also journalists, complained about the massive obstructions by the Russian police. In St. Petersburg, Navalny’s chief of staff there, Irina Fatyanova, announced that she and two other activists had been taken off a train to Moscow and held in custody for three hours without giving any reason. Numerous commentators described Nawalny’s decision to return as courageous and a political victory.
