MOSCOW (RUSSIA) – Supporters of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny are set to confront Russian authorities on Saturday at rallies across the country, which police have declared to be illegal and have pledged to break up.
These gatherings will be the first protests by the supporters of the critic who recently returned to his home country from Germany after treatment only to be arrested.
Navalny blames President Vladimir Putin for ordering his murder, a charge which the Kremlin denies.
The former lawyer has campaigned for years against Putin in spite of state efforts to stifle his activity. He now faces years in prison over a series of cases, which he says are trumped up charges.
His supporters believe that anti-Kremlin demonstrations during winter and the pandemic could pressure the authorities to release him.
The West has sought the critic’s release, stoking new tensions in the already strained ties of Moscow with Washington where President Joe Biden launches his administration.
In a bid to garner support for the critic, his supporters have released a video showing a posh palace by the Black Sea, claiming that it belongs to the Russian president, something which the Kremlin denies. It has been viewed more than 60 million times as of Friday.