At least 340 people were arrested today in 30 Russian cities at events held in memory of Alexei Navalny, according to human rights group OVD-Info.
It is the biggest wave of arrests in political protests in Russia since September 2022, when more than 1,300 people were arrested in protests once morest Moscow’s “partial conscription” for its invasion of Ukraine.
OVD-Info reported that the largest number of arrests today took place in St. Petersburg and Moscow, where the pro-Navalni movement has traditionally been strong, with 74 and 49 detainees, respectively, as of 16:36 Greek time today.
Footage from Reuters in St Petersburg showed dozens gathering next to a memorial to victims of repression. Some laid flowers and left candles, while some sang hymns and others hugged each other, in tears. A Reuters reporter at the scene said regarding 30 people were arrested at the scene.
OVD-Info also reported isolated arrests in smaller cities across Russia, from the border city of Belgorod, where seven were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Thursday, to Vorkuta, in the Arctic once home to a Stalin-era Gulag labor camp. Reuters was unable to verify the group’s accounts, and Russian police declined to comment.
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