Amid a decline in incomes and increasing poverty in Russia, Alexei Navalny has stood out as one of the loudest critics of Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin. Last summer, Mr. Navalny accused Putin of trying to kill him with a nerve-agent poison. After recovering in Germany for 5 months, Navalny returned to Russia, facing immediate arrest upon his arrival. In response this, thousands in Russia have lined the streets in protest calling for his release. The protesters were met with riot police in black helmets, camouflage, and body armor. More than 5,000 people were detained across 85 cities.
In Moscow, protesters were encouraged by Navalny's team to stick together in large crowds, and were guided to the jail where Navalny was being held. The police pushed protesters into walls, breaking the crowd up into smaller groups to detain them. Among the protests rolling across Russia, no support can be seen within the government, Parliament, or big business. This show of force demonstrates the willingness of Putin to adopt a more authoritarian regime when presented with a threat to his power. The question facing the people of Russia now is if they will continue to actively protest Putin's regime facing extreme police brutality.
Beyond the people of Russia, this also raises tensions between the United States and Russia. American secretary of state, Antony Blinken, condemned the tactics used by the Russian government to quell these protests. In response to this, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused the United States of supporting the protests to attempt to contain Russia. The relationship between the United States and Russia has been deteriorating for many years now, and it will be interesting to see how this changes it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/world/europe/russia-protests-navalny-live-updates.html
Sarah Runchey
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