Several dozens of demonstrators gathered near the Russian Embassy in Kyiv on Jan. 23 to support a nationwide protest across Russia demanding the release of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
The rally in Kyiv started simultaneously with demonstrations in Moscow and other Russian cities, only to be attacked by a far-right group opposing the support for Navalny because of his statements about Crimea.
Navalny was jailed on Jan. 17 upon his return from Germany, where he was undergoing medical treatment after nerve agent poisoning in Russia. The opposition leader accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering his murder, which the Kremlin denies.
According to Reuters, some 40,000 people rallied in Moscow alone in what some call Russia’s largest protest in years. The Russian law enforcement estimated the crowd at some 4,000.
The police have brutally beaten demonstrators and reportedly detained more than 2,100 people. Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalnaya is among the detained.
Kyiv demonstrators brought signs calling for the release of Putin’s nemesis and criticizing the Kremlin.
There were several public figures in the crowd such as fashion designer Anton Belinskiy and Russian-born hospitality entrepreneur Vasily Grogol.
The protest, however, was attacked by the members of some far-right groups who snatched the demonstrators’ signs and set them on fire.
The group opposed the rally because of the statement Navalny made about Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula. In 2014, Navalny said that Crimea was “seized” with violations of international law, however, the reality is that it’s now part of Russia and will remain that way.
The confronting protestors were separated by the police. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, two demonstrators were detained but soon released.
