Russian stars back Navalny with major protests planned
CELEBRITIES in Russia have joined calls for protests in support of Alexei Navalny, the jailed opposition leader, as authorities prepare for what could be the biggest wave of anti-government demonstrations in years.
Rallies are due to take place today in more than 60 cities and towns despite coronavirus restrictions and without official permits to protest. The demonstrations offer the first test of support for the 44-year-old politician since he returned to Russia last Sunday following his near-fatal poisoning in August last year.
He was arrested immediately on his return from Berlin, where he had been recovering.
Despite persistent warnings that police will not tolerate the unsanctioned rallies, dozens of Russian celebrities have taken to social media to back the jailed politician and urge supporters to take to the streets.
Igor Denisov, a former captain of the national football team revered by the government, called for Mr Navalny’s release in a video statement. “I’ve never been interested in politics and I never will be,” he said in the video posted by the Sports.ru website. “But it’s not about politics. I’d like to support Alexei Navalny and his family. He should be freed.”
Alexandra Bortich, a soap opera star, in an emotional speech on Instagram asked her fans to join her at the protest.
She said: “It would be really cool if we all go on a walk on January 23 – we all have to take that walk if we want to live in a country where human rights are respected and laws are in place.”
The growing support for the protests was spreading fast on social media, with Russian teenagers flooding TikTok with calls for joining the rallies.
However, schools and universities all over the country announced an extra day of lessons and lectures today and students reported threats of expulsion if they are caught at the rallies.
Mr Navalny was arrested for 30 days for alleged violations of his suspended sentence, and the government now has three weeks until the next court hearing to decide whether keeping Mr Navalny behind bars will prove to be more of a menace to them.
His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh was ordered to spend nine days in jail, and Georgy Alburov was jailed for 10 days. Mr Navalny’s close ally Lyubov Sobol was ordered to pay a fine equivalent to €2,700
The Bloomberg news agency yesterday quoted two sources close to the Russian leadership, saying authorities are considering jailing Mr Navalny for violating the terms of his probation for three and a half years and possibly adding 10 years more under a new criminal case.
The Russian government denies any role in the nerve agent attack that left Mr Navalny in a coma for several weeks.
Ahead of the planned protests, Russian police have arrested key Navalny allies in Moscow, including his spokeswoman, and have threatened to prosecute his supporters for involving minors in protests. Mr Navalny, who is incarcerated in a notorious Moscow jail, yesterday passed a chilling message through his lawyer.
It said: “Just in case, I declare: I have no plans to hang myself on the window bars or slit my wrists or throat with a sharpened spoon.”
Public anger at Mr Navalny’s arrest was further increased by a new YouTube investigation into President Vladimir Putin’s alleged wealth.
The 90-minute video titled Putin’s Palace, which was put out the day after the Kremlin critic was sent to jail, received 58 million views in just three days after it was released. (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)
‘Just in case, I declare: I have no plans to hang myself on the window bars or slit my wrists or throat with a sharpened spoon,’ Navalny said in a chilling message passed through his lawyer