Thousands of people in Moscow and across Russia who took to the streets Sunday were met with the harshest show of force the country has seen in recent years.
Protesters throughout the country had gathered for the second weekend in a row to support jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who has been held by Russian authorities since mid-January.
More than 5,000 people were detained in at least 85 cities as of late Sunday, according to the independent monitoring group OVD-Info — a record since 2011.
In Moscow, the capital, more than 1,600 people were arrested, including Navalny's wife Yulia, though she was later released.
Navalny himself has been behind bars since shortly after he arrived in Moscow on January 17. The longtime Russian dissident had spent the previous several months in Germany where he was recovering from being poisoned with Novichok, a powerful nerve agent. Navalny accused the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin of trying to kill him, an allegation the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
A joint investigation last month by CNN and the investigative group Bellingcat implicated the FSB in Navalny's August poisoning, piecing together how an elite unit at the agency followed Navalny's team throughout a trip to Siberia, at the end of which Navalny fell ill from exposure to military-grade Novichok.
Russia has denied involvement in the case.
#FrederikPleitgen #CNNInternational #News
Mfs said “not today “
Wonderful, Bites don’t it Puttie. ‘Bout time Putin got a good dose of what Democracy and will of the people looks and feels like.
This is why it’s important to have term limits.
They had term limits. Putin had the Duma remove them, so he could maintain power.
Putin changed them…
@bngr bngr If you are live in US, you shouldn’t tell about democracy !! Take mirror and face towards american society 🤙🏻
@Dmitry Kharma I don’t understand your English.
@Alex xelA Alexei is a nationalist and it’s pretty clear that his fight is FOR Russia. Hell, he’s been chemically burned once and poisoned twice and he’s still fighting. He sounds like a true Russian to me.
The few good people in Russia that don’t idolize their own oppressor for the past 20 years
Yes we WILL LECTURE PUTIN about protesting his evil regime. FASCIST DICTATOR! Trumps friend. REVOLUTION PEOPLE!
@Alex xelA Putin is a murderous dictator and he needs to go! Power to the Russian people! They deserve MUCH better!
@BrillStrat haha, only on fox news!!
@Erad Silky mmm nah. Go take a look at a lot of blm “protests”.
It screams fascism.
@BrillStrat most were peaceful, the ones by me certainly were. I am sure there are opportunist in this very mob or gathering tho, and agent provocateur s, and lawless looters as well. I meant trump specifically, not protest or insurections. He was as close to a facists. he lost an election and nearly subverted our whole way of government to stay In Power.
@Erad Silky depends on what you consider “peaceful” there’s protesters who don’t loot or riot, but they harass people and it’s still considered “peaceful”
All im saying is you have multiple cities
where you are bullied, vilified, targeted and harrased if you don’t speak up and salute when a particular group walks by..
That is taken right out of the 1930s national socialists book.
i.e- the nazi handbook.
Here’s what I mean:
https://youtu.be/dSnTTND0UcM
Go Russian people, you are doing the right thing protesting, I believe in you 🤘
@Major Old Lady aka, Mom Jackson County Oregon 💚
@Alex xelA Lol YAWNNNN, little russian soy boy over here
https://youtu.be/hlYmgB0yYLA
@jeck jeck your country is ruled by oligarchs.
@The Zombie Whisperer what’s wrong with being gay?
Weak, Scared Putin hides behind his personal “police”.
This is what corrupt govt does when the people speak up.
Sounds real familiar doesn’t it?
Very much. Same tactic all around the world. Scary isn’t it?
LoL, you get poisoned and then thrown in jail for not dying. And your doctor too. I hope the Russian people will have the strength to get themselves a new government. All people deserve to be free and it’s genuinely frighting to see a nuclear power being run by such lunatics.
All people deserve to be free✊
Not going to take it anymore!
Fight for Russian Democracy!
look on yourself.
Can’t wait till Putin and all his oligarchs are hanging in front of the Kremlin.
Where is Omega Red & Colossus when their county needs them❓❓❓
I fear for the people of Russia. There is a history of brutal crackdown on protesters.
All peoples deserve an accountable democracy, not tyrants who pose as saviors who only look after themselves. God bless the great people of Russia!
this.
They legit batoning people already in custody
Rusia has been the darkest country ever.
It may be so continuously
Does Trump consider it a “patriotic” crackdown?
O no!!! The sky is falling
Keep protesting Russia 🇷🇺 change never comes easy. I hope one day Russian ppl are free from dictatorship.