National Post (National Edition)
Putin calls Navalny protesters `terrorists'
Russian leader denies owning `palace' property
Vladimir Putin compared the organizers of mass anti-Kremlin protests at the weekend to “terrorists” as he dismissed an investigation by Alexei Navalny, the jailed opposition leader, into his personal wealth.
The Russian president, who never says Navalny's name in public, took the surprising step of directly addressing allegations he owns a billion-dollar residence on the Black Sea, described by the opposition leader as “Putin's Palace.” He made the comments after demonstrations on Saturday in which tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against Navalny's arrest on his return to Russia after months recovering from a poisoning and to express wider anger over corruption.
Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, is due to visit Moscow early next month to press the Kremlin on the opposition leader's arrest, he said after a meeting of European foreign ministers to decide on a response to last week's events.
“The council considered it completely unacceptable and condemned mass detentions and police brutality over the weekend. We call on Russia for the release of Mr. Navalny,” said Borrell.
Borrell has insisted on sticking to his planned trip, which would be the first to Moscow by an EU foreign policy chief since 2017, despite opposition from several countries.
During a call with university students on Monday, Putin, referring to a claim by authorities that the opposition lured minors into taking part in the rallies, said young people should not be used for political ends.
“That's what terrorists do. They put women and children in front of themselves,” he said.
Surveys of the protesters found the vast majority of those taking part were adults. Putin's comments on the protest, as well as his denial of the “palace” investigation, marks a shift in the Kremlin's approach to Navalny, which has long sought to downplay his significance.
“Nothing that is listed there as my property belongs to me or my close relatives, and never did,” Putin said.
Navalny's video report on the property in southern Russia — which he says is the country's largest private home — has been viewed more than 85 million times online.
The video was released shortly after Navalny's arrest. Currently in pretrial detention, he faces more than a decade behind bars on charges widely seen as politically motivated, after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in an attack he has blamed on the Russian state.
Allies of the opposition leader announced fresh protests on Sunday calling for his release. Saturday's protest saw more than 3,000 people detained.