Supporters of Alexei Navalny, in Novosibirsk on January 31, 2021. -

Kirill Kukhmar / TASS / Sipa USA / SIP

Despite growing pressure from the authorities, the Russian opposition does not seem to bow.

Supporters of Alexei Navalny are preparing for another day of demonstrations on Sunday to call for the release of the jailed opponent.

They must notably gather in front of the headquarters of the Russian security services (FSB) in central Moscow, where the authorities, who consider these gatherings illegal, plan to limit access to several streets and to close seven metro stations. .

The municipality also announced that restaurants and shops in the center of the capital will remain closed on Sunday and that the bus route will be changed.

These rallies follow a first day of demonstrations on January 23, which brought together tens of thousands of Russians across the country and which resulted in more than 4,000 arrests and the opening of around 20 criminal cases. .

They will also take place against the backdrop of the appearance of Alexei Navalny before judges, scheduled for next week.

The opponent has been the target of a multitude of legal proceedings since his return to Russia on January 17, which he considers politically motivated.

His main supports under house arrest

Most of his close allies, including his brother Oleg and the rising opposition figure, Lioubov Sobol, were under house arrest Friday by Russian justice, two days after a series of searches that targeted the home of his wife Yulia. and the premises of his organization, the Anti-Corruption Fund.

In previous days, the authorities have repeatedly warned supporters of Navalny, the prosecution and the police claiming in particular that the demonstrators could be prosecuted for "mass riots" if the rallies ended in violence.

Despite the pressures, Alexeï Navalny called on the Russians once again to take to the streets on Thursday.

“Don't be afraid,” he wrote in a letter posted to his blog.

“The majority are on our side.

Let's go wake her up ”.

The protests are also fueled by the dissemination of an investigation by the opponent accusing Vladimir Putin of benefiting from a huge and opulent "palace" worth more than a billion euros on the shores of the Black Sea, seen over 100 million times on YouTube.

The president denied accusations intended to "brainwash" the Russians, while state television broadcast images showing the residence still under construction, far from the luxury described by the opponent.

World

Russian justice keeps Navalny in detention

World

Biden discusses 'poisoning' of Navalny with Putin on first call

  • Vladimir Poutine

  • Demonstration

  • Corruption

  • Alexei Navalny

  • Video

  • Russia

  • World