Moscow:
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday dismissed claims by opposition leader Alexei Navalny that he owns a luxury home on the Black Sea worth $1.35 billion, as the opposition urged fresh nationwide demonstrations.
Courts about Russia began handing down brief jail sentences to demonstrators arrested in the course of nationwide opposition rallies final weekend, although the foreign ministry accused US diplomats of encouraging Russians to join the protests.
Navalny’s aides urged his supporters to take to the streets once again next Sunday ahead of a court case that could see Russia’s most prominent Kremlin critic place behind bars for more than 3 years.
The 44-year-old campaigner was detained just more than a week ago when he returned to Moscow from Germany, exactly where he had been recuperating from exposure to a Soviet-made toxin.
He known as on his supporters in dozens of cities to rally final weekend and released a two-hour investigation into the palatial seaside home to spur allies to demonstrate.
The rallies saw a record quantity of arrests, and Putin on Monday denied possessing something to do with the home in Navalny’s video, which has now been watched 86 million occasions.
“Nothing that is listed there as my property belongs to me or my close relatives, and never did,” Putin stated in the course of a video get in touch with with Russian students.
Navalny’s report — his most-watched anti-corruption probe by far — claims the home is worth $1.35 billion and characteristics almost everything from an underground ice rink to a casino.
“Terrorists” jibe
Leonid Volkov, a crucial aide to the Kremlin critic, urged Russians to take to the streets once again on January 31 “for Navalny’s freedom, for freedom for all, and for justice”.
Saturday’s rallies saw clashes in between police and protesters, 3,700 of whom had been detained according to the OVD-Info monitoring group.
Putin stated on Monday that Russian citizens have the proper to express themselves but that they should do so “within the framework of the law”.
According to OVD-Info, by Monday morning more than 80 individuals have been handed brief-term jail sentences more than the protests although at least 15 criminal probes have been launched.
Putin also stated minors should really not be encouraged to join the rallies, referring to a claim repeated by authorities that the opposition had encouraged young individuals to protest.
“That’s what terrorists do. They put women and children in front of themselves,” Putin stated.
Political analyst Alexei Zakharov, who cited polls performed at Moscow’s rally, stated on Facebook that demonstrators had been on typical 31-years-old, although only 10 % of participants had been 18 or younger.
Tech firms take flak
The Russian foreign ministry on Monday repeated claims that US diplomats had encouraged Russians to participate in the rallies, and stated it had lodged a “strong protest” with the American ambassador.
That allegation followed earlier claims by the Kremlin that the US embassy was interfering in Russian affairs by publishing protest routes ahead of the rallies.
An embassy spokeswoman told AFP that it was “routine practice” for diplomatic missions to challenge security messages to their citizens abroad.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated Moscow would probe American tech organizations more than “interference” connected to the demonstrations.
Ahead of the rallies, Russia’s media watchdog Roskomnadzor ordered social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram to delete calls for demonstrations posted on their platforms.
Navalny’s arrest was met with widespread condemnation in the West, with the European Union saying it was taking into consideration new sanctions on Russia — while EU ministers decided at a meeting Monday that this was “premature”, according to 1 European diplomat.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is due to stop by Moscow early next month and indicated that he will press the Kremlin on Navalny’s arrest.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, meanwhile stated individuals should really not be detained “solely for expressing their opinion”, highlighting the “basic right” of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
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