Putin likens crackdown to Capitol arrests

RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin, above, has suggested that those arrested for rioting at the US Capitol are being subjected to “persecution for political opinions”.

Mr Putin is likely to come under strong criticism from US president Joe Biden when they meet at a summit in Geneva for moves against his opponents in Russia.

“You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance toward dissent in Russia. We view it completely differently,” Mr Putin told NBC News. He pointed to the unrest in Washington when protesters barged into the Capitol to try to halt the count of electoral votes to certify Mr Biden’s victory. “Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? ... They came there with political demands,” he said.