Navalny case: Moscow denounces US for ‘gross interference’ in Russia’s internal affairs

Moscow has called on Washington to end its “gross interference” in Russia’s domestic affairs after the US secretary of state accused Russian authorities of using “harsh tactics” against protesters demanding the release of Western-backed opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on its official Facebook and Twitter pages on Sunday a few hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned what he alleged was “the persistent use of harsh tactics against peaceful protesters and journalists by Russian authorities” and called on the Russian government “to release those detained” on humanitarian grounds.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement goes as follows:

Gross intervention by the US in Russia’s domestic affairs is as much an established truth as their “pushing” fake news and calls for unauthorized actions by Washington-controlled internet platforms. US State Secretary Antony Blinken’s support for unlawful actions is yet more evidence of Washington’s backstage role.

Obviously, actions aimed at encouraging protests are part of their Russia containment strategy. The State Department has apparently embraced the RAND Corporation’s “program,” which the latter proposed in 2019 (see its report Overextending and Unbalancing Russia). Regrettably, they skipped over the warning about “the high costs and risks” of pursuing such a program.

We demand that all interventions in the domestic affairs of foreign states be stopped and remind others of their responsibilities:
https://rkn.gov.ru/news/rsoc/news73372.htm.

P.S. To US admins: The “rallies” that you as professional diplomats so unseemly care about are not “scheduled,” but are unauthorized. Everyone knows what happens in the US in such cases – they open fire and shoot to kill. Double standards and hypocrisy, is this your motto?

Russian police arrest hundreds of pro-Navalny protesters

Russian police have arrested hundreds staging protests in support of detained Western-backed blogger Alexei Navalny.

Gross intervention by #US in #Russia’s affairs is as evident as their “pushing” fake news & calls for unauthorised actions by US-controlled internet platforms. @SecBlinken's support for unlawful actions is yet more evidence of Washington’s backstage role. https://t.co/SWBeo0t6Cb https://t.co/mr1wyhb3ks

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) January 31, 2021

The “rallies” that #US diplomats so unseemly care about are not “scheduled,” but are unauthorised. Everyone knows what happens in the US 🇺🇸 in such cases: security forces open fire & shoot to kill. Double standards and hypocrisy, is this @statedept motto?
https://t.co/SWBeo0t6Cb https://t.co/Qxuv5X9qjk pic.twitter.com/OhwhZvf2a2

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) January 31, 2021

Navalny, 45, was taken ill on a domestic flight on August 20 last year. He was later transported to a German capital, where he was hospitalized with alleged poisoning.

His aides, as well as the German government and some Western countries, had already claimed he had been poisoned before the domestic Russian flight, blaming Moscow.

Moscow has repeatedly rejected the allegations, saying the West is exploiting the case for political reasons and using it as a pretext to impose more sanctions against Russia.

Upon returning to Russia on January 17, Navalny was detained and a court hearing in Khimki police station near Moscow demanded he be remanded in custody, meaning that he will be detained for 30 days from the day of his arrest awaiting trial.

The opposition figure is accused of breaking the terms of his probation, following a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence he received in 2014. That conviction relates to a fraud case involving the French cosmetics brand Yves Rocher, which he claims was politically motivated.

Moscow says US embassy interferes in Russia’s internal affairs over Navalny case

The Kremlin says the US embassy in Moscow is interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs over the case of detained opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

Since his detention, Navalny has called on Russians to fill the streets across the country against the government of President Vladimir Putin. The call has drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets in Russia, demanding his release.

Police have described all protests as unauthorized while an investigation is underway into violence committed by both protesters and law enforcement. Thousands of protesters have reportedly been arrested so far.

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