Thousands Defy Crackdown In Russia’s Far East To Support Navalny

Young and old came to demonstrate and rally in central Vladivostok on January 23, braving cold weather and truncheon-wielding police to call for the release of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny. The Kremlin critic was jailed last weekend upon his return to Moscow after receiving medical treatment in Germany for Novichok poisoning. Many demonstrators were aware of a documentary produced by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation that exposed a billion-dollar palace allegedly built for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Protesters could be seen holding screenshots from the film. Reports suggest the protests were likely to be Russia's largest since March 2017, when coordinated anti-government demonstrations took place in 99 cities and towns across the country.