A rally in support of Navalny on April 21. Photo: Twitter / @ thatmikhail
On April 21, rallies were held in Russia in support of opposition politician Alexey Navalny, who was imprisoned for 3.5 years. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and independent observers, from 10,000 to 30,000 Russians attended the rally in Moscow, and only a few thousand in St. Petersburg. In addition, on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a message to the Federal assembly.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, 14,400 people took part in the protests, of which 6,000 were in Moscow, and 4,500 in St. Petersburg. In general, this is the highest official estimate. The Russians took to the streets with demands to provide the oppositionist with a doctor.
The Twitter account Navalny LIVE estimated the number of participants in Moscow at 60,000.
Moreover, even in Kyiv people came out to support Navalny. Five people rallied near the Russian embassy.
How many people were detained because of the rally in support of Navalny
In total, 1220 people were detained in different cities by 23:00 Moscow time. In Moscow, 20 people in total got into police stations. More than a third of the total number (487 people) was detained in St. Petersburg.
In the capital of the Russian Federation, the police did not allow the protesters to get to key places—Manezhnaya Square and Lubyanka. However, those who walked from the side of Tverskaya Square still managed to get to the closed Lubyanka, and then reached Tsvetnoy Boulevard, from where they began to disperse.
However, in St. Petersburg the situation was more tense, There the electric shockers were used against the protesters and they were beaten during detention.