Russia police detain Alexei Navalny's allies ahead of a planned demonstration

Several allies of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny were detained in Moscow on January 28 after police raided their respective apartments and offices ahead of a planned demonstration. According to Associated Press, Navalny's top ally Lyubov Sobol, Dr Anastasia Vasilyeva from the Alliance of Doctors union and Maria Alyokhina have been detained for 48 hours along with Russian opposition leader’s brother Oleg. All four detainees are reported to be suspects in a criminal probe into alleged violations of coronavirus regulations during the mass rally in Moscow. 

The arrest of Navalny’s allies come four days before new protests that his supporters have called for January 31. On Wednesday, the Russian police carried out at least 18 searches. The cops raided the flat of Navalny’s wife Yulia and the office of FBK, Navalny’s organisation, which is known for its investigations into the wealth of Russia’s elites.

The law enforcement in the nation has already detained over 3,000 protesters demanding the immediate release of Navalny. Earlier this week, Navalny's wife Yulia was also detained in Moscow. Following the arrests, Kremlin broke its silence on nationwide protests and they not only downplayed the severity of the demonstrations that were witnessed in several cities but also accused the United States of meddling in Moscow’s internal affairs.

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Navalny’s allies call for fresh protest on Jan 31 

Navalny was arrested on January 17 on returning to Moscow from Germany, where he had spent nearly five months recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he has blamed on the Kremlin but Russian authorities deny. His team has called for new protests later this month to demand the release of the Kremlin critic, who was jailed soon after returning from Germany. Leonid Volkov, one of the closest allies of the jailed leader, called on people to gather in all Russian cities on January 31 to demand "freedom for Navalny". Volkov urged people to come out in support of Navalny on January 31 at 12 pm, adding further details will be announced soon. 

The Kremlin critic has argued that his arrest is "politically motivated", but Russian authorities say that he has been arrested because he violated the terms of his suspended prison terms of 2014 when he was found guilty by a court for alleged financial misdeeds. Meanwhile, the international community was quick to condemn the mass crackdown in Russia, calling on Moscow to respect the basic freedom of its citizens, their right to peaceful protest. The condemnation came from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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