Putin calls pro-Navalny marches illegal, new protest set for Sunday
>> Reuters
Published: 25 Jan 2021 09:31 PM BdST Updated: 25 Jan 2021 10:25 PM BdST
-
File photo: Vladimir Putin, REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned weekend protests demanding the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as dangerous and illegal, as the opposition politician's allies said they planned a similar protest for Sunday.
Police detained more than 3,700 people and used force to break up rallies across Russia on Saturday as tens of thousands of protesters ignored extreme cold and police warnings to demand Navalny be freed from jail where he is serving out a 30-day stint for alleged parole violations he denies.
Putin, who avoids mentioning Navalny by name, told students on Monday that nobody should use illegal protest action to further their own political interests.
"Everyone has the right to express their point of view within the framework provided by the law. Anything outside the law is not just counter-productive, but dangerous," said Putin.
He cited upheaval caused by the 1917 Russian Revolution and the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union as examples of how illegal action could cause misery to people and should therefore best be avoided.
As Putin was speaking, Leonid Volkov, a close ally of Navalny currently outside Russia, announced plans for a new protest this Sunday that would once again ask the authorities to free Navalny.
Putin, in a rare public rebuttal of something Navalny has accused him of, on Monday rejected an accusation made in a video last week that has since gained more than 86 million views on YouTube.
Navalny alleged in it that Putin owned an opulent Black Sea palace that the Russian leader's friends had paid for, sometimes using public money.
"I haven't watched the film, simply because I don't have the free time to watch such information, but I scrolled through video compilations," Putin said.
"...Nothing of what was indicated there as my property belongs either to me or to my relatives and never has belonged (to us). Never," he said.
Tensions between Moscow and Washington have flared over the Navalny protests.
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday it had issued a diplomatic protest to US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan over what it said it regarded as interference in its domestic affairs.
It said it took exception to social media posts by the US embassy which it alleged supported the illegal protests and to what it called an unacceptable stance from the State Department.
The United States on Saturday condemned what it described as "harsh tactics" used against protesters and journalists and called for Navalny's "immediate and unconditional" release.
Putin will address the World Economic Forum by video conference on Wednesday, Russian news agencies cited the Kremlin as saying.
The appearance is likely to be contentious with critics at a time when the West is weighing possible new sanctions against Russia over its treatment of Navalny.
-
Shake off your ill will, Britain tells EU
-
Reopening schools is step towards normality: PM Johnson
-
African American sacrifice in French killing fields
-
Twice weekly COVID tests for English households with school children
-
London to get new ferry while bridge is closed
-
Johnson to plot path out of lockdown
-
Germany, once a model, is swamped by second virus wave
-
Britain to offer all adults vaccine by end July
-
British minister says on Meghan interview: no place for racism in our society
-
Shake off your ill will, Britain tells EU over post-Brexit trade
-
Reopening England's schools is step towards normality, PM Johnson says
-
Fraudsters offer 1 billion COVID-19 doses across EU, agency warns
-
African American sacrifice in the killing fields of France
-
All English households with school children offered twice weekly COVID tests
Most Read
- Gridlock at sea, and chaos ashore, as pandemic snarls trade network
- Kawasaki ships first Dhaka Metrorail cars to Bangladesh
- Actor Mithun Chakraborty joins BJP, vows to fight for rights of everyone in Bengal
- Austria suspends AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine batch after death
- Meghan says British royals worried about her son's dark skin
- Meghan says Kate, Prince William's wife, made her cry before wedding to Harry
- Bangladesh names Ahsanullah Master, Mahadev Saha for 2021 Independence Awards
- How to register for coronavirus vaccine in Bangladesh
- Breaking societal barriers, Bangladesh working women defy the odds to create their own path
- Bangladesh reports 606 new virus cases, 11 deaths in a day