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Participant in a solo picket in support of Navalny in Belgorod (Photo: Navalny Headquarters in Belgorod via Twitter)
In 66 Russian cities on Saturday, January 23, mass demonstrations are expected in support of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. People intend to demand his release from arrest.
Another catalyst for the protests was the publication of Navalny’s investigation into the luxurious palace in Gelendzhik, which is owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin through representatives.
NV explains how the protest action is being prepared and how widespread it can become.
What? Where? When?
Marches and rallies against the Kremlin’s repressive policy and demanding an investigation into the assassination attempt on Alexei Navalny announced the website of the opposition politician on 23 January.
Participants are invited to meet at a specific location in the center of their city and hold a demonstration. Coordination takes place on social media or through self-organization.
The action is planned in 66 cities. Chronologically, Navalny’s supporters will be the first to hit the streets in Khabarovsk at 04:00 Kiev time. In most cities in the European part of Russia, the rate is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Moscow time. (13:00 Kiev time).
In Moscow, the start of the action is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. local time in Pushkinskaya Square; in St. Petersburg – at 14:00 on the Senate Square.
TikTok rules
Older pupils and students are the most active. Videos with calls to participate in the “walk” are massively distributed on the popular social network TikTok among teenagers, and the day before there was a flash mob: schoolchildren filmed portraits of Putin in the classrooms and posted Navalny’s photos.
TikTok videos with the hashtag #Navalny have been viewed more than 900 million times.
Some half-joke stories hint at a possible violent confrontation.
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT foreign propaganda broadcast, asked Telegram to influence the Chinese owners of TikTok to «stop this garbage in a couple of minutes. “
The pro-Putin newspaper KP called the social network «what the Polish Telegram channel NEXTA for Belarus has become “.
Roskomnadzor demanded that TikTok remove the videos calling for protests and also threatened a large fine.
«Schoolchildren are pressured by teachers and the police, students are threatened with problems in their studies. Parents are prosecuted for propaganda, intimidating with the dangers that threaten their children ”, writes Radio Liberty.
Leonid Volkov, head of the regional headquarters network for the Anti-Corruption Foundation, believes the government is only raising people’s awareness of the next action.
What to expect
Volkov himself, in an interview with Hoy nowadays, did not specify the possible number of protests, stating: “We warn all participants of the event about the risks they entail, and we repeat the same: the more people, the less risks. “
Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a known tennis player in the past, and now a public figure, gave his forecast on the Moscow procession.
Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Echo Moskvy radio station, is pessimistic. “I expect mesilov from Saturday. I see the reaction of the authorities. Let me remind you that all these rallies or processions are not recognized by the authorities, they are not coordinated, they are called illegal, illegal. And the authorities will show cruelty. It will show, in my opinion, the Belarusian version, ”he said on the air of the program. Special guest.
What Navalny says
After the authorities detained Navalny’s press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, one of the FBK leaders Georgy Alburov, and the regional coordinators of the headquarters in Vladivostok, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Moscow, the opposition team announced that it was ready for such event development. .
«Look at how many artists, sports stars, how many simply interested people call on social media, and that’s okay. And the employee detention is worth your going to the rally. The number of people on the streets is important. Judging by the number of people planning to leave, there is a feeling that all of Russia now knows about the arrest of Navalny and the Putin Palace, ”wrote FBK director Ivan Zhdanov on Facebook.
On January 22, Navalny’s wife, Yulia, wrote on Instagram that she would also pass through the central street of Moscow on Saturday afternoon. “I will marry the person who helped me become who I am. I will marry an amazing and very talented politician who makes Russia better despite everything. I’m marrying a guy who makes funny jokes on Twitter and does interesting research. I will marry a fearless, brave person who is persecuted and killed, and he, despite everything, never gives up, “he said in his message.
What Putin says
Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the upcoming demonstrations in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said that the «as such ”no.
«There are certain provocateurs who call for this action. Meduza quotes Peskov. – We understand well the actions of provocateurs. They are well understood by law enforcement agencies and appropriate action is being taken against these provocateurs. “
The Attorney General of the Russian Federation demanded restricting access to websites containing calls to participate in rallies on January 23. “People calling for illegal actions have been warned about the inadmissibility of breaking the law,” the ministry’s press service said on January 21.
Moscow police promised Stop the action on January 23rd. “Attempts to hold an uncoordinated public event, as well as any provocative action by its participants, will be considered as a threat to public order,” the website of the Moscow Department of the Russian Interior Ministry said.
The Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation called on parents to protect school children from being drawn into “various political actions and provocations.” The department offered alternative leisure activities for children and adults on weekends instead of «the so-called ride “, for example, watching your favorite movies, sledding and ice skating, reading your favorite works
At the same time, according to Open Media, many state universities have declared January 23 as an academic day.
Why are they going?
Navalny was detained on January 17 at passport control in Sheremetyevo, where the opponent flew from Germany after five months of treatment and rehabilitation from the effects of the Novichok group poisoning. The Federal Penitentiary Service put the politician on the wanted list before the court decided to replace the suspended sentence in the so-called Yves Rocher case with a real one.
The trial, held at the Khimki Police Station on January 18, arrested Navalny for 30 days. The lawyers were not allowed to see him.
Navalny asked his followers to take to the streets. Additionally, a large-scale investigation of FBK was released this week. Putin’s Palace, which tells of the luxurious possessions of the head of the Kremlin on the Black Sea coast.
