23:55, 22 April 2021

Sochi leads in Southern Russia in terms of number of detainees at protest rallies

Special vehicles in Sochi on April 21, 2021. Photo by Svetlana Kravchenko for the "Caucasian Knot"

On April 21, detentions at rallies in support of Alexei Navalny took place in at least 11 cities in Southern Russia, including Anapa and Novorossiysk. Sochi is one of the six Russian cities with the largest number of detainees, the “OVD-Info” reported.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on April 21, various cities of Russia, including in the south of the country, hosted protest actions in support of Alexei Navalny. The actions were not sanctioned by the authorities, and many activists were detained.

Supporters of Alexei Navalny, who is serving his sentence in a penal colony, are seeking medical assistance for the oppositionist. He himself has been on hunger strike since March 31. Alexei Navalny demands to let an invited doctor visit him and that medicines be handed over to him.

According to the “OVD-Info”, as at 12:29 p.m. Moscow time on April 22, 1788 people were detained throughout Russia at the rallies held in support of Alexei Navalny on April 21. There are 53 detainees in Sochi.

Offices of Alexei Navalny were opened in Russian cities yet before the 2018 presidential election, reports the material prepared by the “Caucasian Knot” and entitled “Navalny’s volunteers: paid PR actions or a new political force?” In Southern Russia, only three of the Alexei Navalny’s offices are currently operating, including in Krasnodar, Volgograd, and Rostov. On April 11, a new office of the oppositionist was opened in Makhachkala.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 22, 2021 at 12:29 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.