The Moscow authorities did not like the spontaneous tributes to Russian opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in his Arctic prison on Friday, February 16. Across the country, Russian citizens who naturally flocked to memorial sites were arrested to reveal their identities.
At the end of the afternoon of this Saturday, February 17, the human rights NGO OVD-Info counted 340 arrests, of which 230 were made today. Some people have been released, but initial prison sentences of four or five days have already been imposed.
The last day of voting, March 17th
These raids show the excitement in the Kremlin exactly a month before Russia's presidential election, which is scheduled to take place over three days, March 15-17.
On February 1, from his Siberian prison, Alexeï Nalvany encouraged his listeners to take part in Operation Midi against Putin. It calls on voters who want to express their opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin to go to polling stations en masse at 12 noon on March 17, the last voting day of the Russian presidential election.
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Real people lining up to vote against Putin would be a powerful symbol against false and fraudulent yes votes, Navalny wrote, a message spread by his team on the Russian Central Election Commission's social network, which he describes as a witch, who is able to manipulate ballot papers.
A “legal and safe” demonstration
Such a guerrilla demonstration was completely legal and safe, Navalny emphasized, as the demonstrators could not be distinguished from Putin supporters who were voting at the same time. Public protests in Russia have been illegal since 2014 and can be punished with up to five years in prison.
The Midi idea against Putin is not directly signed by Navalny; It goes to Maxim Reznik, a former St. Petersburg MP and prominent Kremlin critic in exile. But it is a concrete implementation of the opponent's public appeal in December to Russians to vote for anyone but Putin in the March elections.
The Russian opposition in exile was welcomed in Brussels
The anti-Putin slogan was spread in Brussels on Wednesday, February 14, as the European Parliament welcomed members of the Russian opposition in exile. The Kremlin is trying to send a propaganda message to the whole world – namely that 85% of Russians are for Mr. Putin, Leonid Volkov explained.
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The former head of the Russian Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), who was also Alexei Navalny's cabinet chief, called on Russians to stage a massive protest against Putin at the polling stations on March 17. As do Vladimir Milov, Russia's former deputy energy minister in exile, and lawyer Vadim Prokhorov, director of the Free Russia Foundation. They said a long line at polling stations at noon on the final day could indicate that they appear to be empty on other days. In other words: a lack of support for the Putin vote, whatever the pro-Kremlin media says.
The issue of recognizing the legitimacy of the election is extremely important and sensitive for the Putin regime, said Prokhorov, who defended jailed opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for treason.