More than 100 individuals were arrested across various Russian cities during commemorations for the late opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. His sudden death under suspicious circumstances in a Siberian prison has sparked a new political crisis for Vladimir Putin’s government, which is being blamed by the West for being behind his death.
Many of the arrests were made on individuals simply laying flowers in public squares as a farewell gesture to Navalny. These arrests primarily took place in Saint Petersburg, Putin’s birthplace. This information comes from OVD-Info, an organization dedicated to the rights of detained opposition members.
Arrests were also made in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, and other cities in the European part of Russia and Siberia. In addition to the arrests, police collected personal data of all people present at these events, including journalists who were there to report on the events.
Since Friday, authorities have been attempting to dismantle any memorials created by Navalny’s supporters. These memorials were set up not only at sites commemorating victims of political repression but also at any improvised locations. Such activities were reported taking place in front of the Kremlin on the bridge where Boris Nemtsov, another opposition leader, was assassinated in 2015.
Many people have been paying homage to the opposition leader by leaving flowers or lighting candles at designated spots in their cities. Thousands of Russian expatriates have also taken to the streets to protest what they perceive as a state-sanctioned murder, with calls for more protests in cities across Europe, America, and Latin America.
Navalny, 47, died suddenly on Friday in the Arctic prison where he was detained since last December, as reported by Russian prison services. The opposition, independent Russian press, and Western foreign ministries have all accused Putin of ordering Navalny’s assassination, who has been a prominent adversary to the Kremlin for the past 15 years.
Navalny, who was serving a nearly 30-year prison sentence, was moved to an Arctic prison in December after announcing a campaign against Putin’s re-election in the upcoming March presidential elections. Presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov has deemed the allegations made by the West as “unacceptable” prior to the autopsy results.
Navalny’s team accuses Putin of his death following his mother’s visit to prison
The mother of the late Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, visited the Arctic prison where her son died suddenly on Friday, amid murder accusations against the Kremlin. According to Radio Liberty, Lyudmila Navalnaya traveled from Moscow to the city of Salekhard, in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district, before journeying by car to the town of Jarp, where the prison is located.
Liudmila Naválnaya, who has stated that she does not wish to receive condolences, had met with her son at the same location on February 12, where she reported him to be “healthy and happy to be alive.” Following her visit to collect the death certificate from prison officials, Navalny’s team made the bold accusation that “Putin killed him.”
According to Kira Yarmysh, the spokesperson for the opposition, Navalny’s relatives and lawyer received official confirmation of his death. Yarmysh specified that Navalny died at 2:17 p.m. local time, two hours prior to the prison services publicly declaring it. She also revealed that Navalny’s body is currently in Salekhard, and has been taken by investigators from the Investigative Committee for ‘examinations.’ She demanded that Navalny’s body be immediately returned to his family.
