Kremlin officials denounced the US government for supporting protests that flooded Russia in support of arrested opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who accused the US of supporting violations of the law.
The protests, which drew tens of thousands of protesters, led police to make thousands of arrests. US officials who made statements in support of the protesters and who condemned the police response included the US Embassy in Moscow, the State Department, Sen. Ben Sasse
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“The US supports the right of all people to peaceful protest, freedom of speech,” tweeted embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Ross. “The measures taken by the Russian authorities suppress those rights.”
We look at reports of protests in 38 Russian cities, arrests of more than 350 peaceful protesters and journalists. The US supports the right of all people to peaceful protest and freedom of speech. Measures taken by the Russian authorities will delete those rights.
– Rebecca Ross (@USEmbRuPress) January 23, 2021
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Russian protesters snowball police while more than 2,000 arrested Russia arrests hundreds of protesters demanding the release of Kremlin critic Navalny What could have been if Trump had not acted as his own worst enemy., said in a statement that the reactions of US officials “indirectly constitute absolute interference in our internal affairs” and “are direct support for the violation of the law of the Russian Federation, support for illicit actions,” according to The Associated Press.
“[M]everyone will say that a lot of people came out for the illegal actions, ”Peskov added. “No, few people came out; many people vote for Putin. “
Navalny fell ill on a domestic flight last year and was rushed to a German hospital, where he was diagnosed with poisoned with Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.
After his release from hospital, the Russian prison service informed him that he would be breaking the terms of a 2014 suspended sentence unless he returned to Russia immediately. Navalny returned to Moscow last weekend, five months after his departure from Russia, and was arrested at the airport.
Navalny will appear for a court hearing on Feb. 2.