Russia: Putin denies owning palace, Navalny team calls for new protests
The Russian president denied the accusations of Alexey Navalny, during a videoconference meeting with students, this Monday, January 25.
via REUTERS - SPUTNIK
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The Russian president denied on Monday being the owner of a sumptuous residence, as accused imprisoned opponent Alexeï Navalny whose supporters called for new gatherings across the country next Sunday.
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“
I haven't seen this film for lack of time.
Nothing that is shown in it as being my property belongs to me or to my relatives,
”said the head of state during a televised meeting with Russian students about this film.
This statement by the Russian president comes two days after national demonstrations of an unprecedented scale organized to demand the release of Alexey Navalny.
These demonstrations brought together more than 20,000 people in Moscow, a record in several years for unauthorized action, but also provoked a massive mobilization in more than 100 Russian provincial towns, usually less quick to mobilize.
These demonstrations were punctuated
by thousands of arrests
.
The mobilization was amplified by the dissemination of
the investigation by Alexeï Navalny
accusing the Russian president of having had a palace built for himself which cost more than a billion dollars on the shores of the Black Sea.
The film has been viewed over 86 million times since it was uploaded.
Call for new gatherings
Navalny was arrested upon his return to Russia on January 17, after five months of convalescence in Germany where he was recovering from suspected poisoning with Novichok, a Soviet-designed nerve agent.
The opponent's team called for a new day of action for next Sunday: “
January 31, 12 noon.
All cities of Russia.
For the liberation of Navalny.
For everyone's freedom.
For justice
”, wrote on Twitter a close ally of Mr. Navalny, Leonid Volkov.
He specified that this date had been chosen because it is the closest to February 2, the day of the appearance of Alexey Navalny before a Moscow court.
He must decide whether the 3.5-year suspended prison sentence received in 2014 will be transformed into a prison sentence for violation of his judicial review.
Tweet pp navalny
31 января, 12:00.
Все города России.
За свободу для Навального.
За свободу для всех.
За справедливость.
Все подробности сегодня позже.
- Leonid Volkov (@leonidvolkov) January 25, 2021
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Russia
Vladimir Poutine
Alexei Navalny