INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Thousands of Russian emigres in more than 60 cities, from Seoul and London to Yerevan, Vilnius and Belgrade, participated in solidarity
rallies Saturday in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and other Russian political prisoners
Attendees at protests gone to by The Moscow Times chanted No to war and Freedom to political prisoners, and held placards and flags
consisting of the Ukrainian flag and the Russian flag with the red removed-- an anti-war symbol
I came here because I dont support the political routine in my country and I think that the war needs to end, Yulia, a young woman in her
20s attending a rally of a number of hundred people in the Serbian capital Belgrade informed The Moscow Times
My soul hurts for my country, she said.The rallies mark the first coordinated campaign by Navalnys fans considering that Russia-wide
protests after the opposition political leader was put behind bars 2 years back and his political network blacklisted as terrorist by the
Pro-Navalny protesters in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Nurbek SavitahunovThere were reports of a number of one-person demonstrations inside Russia where demonstrators face practically specific
arrest and possible long jail terms under wartime censorship laws
In the Armenian capital, Yerevan, there were protests on both Friday and Saturday
I came here to show my assistance for Alexei Navalny, stated Leonid, a Russian protesting with lots of others Friday outside the Russian
I wish to reveal my support for all Russian political prisoners and also demonstration against the war, said Alexander, a Muscovite in his
20s at the same protest who was holding a placard with the name of apprehended Russian activist Dmitry Ivanov
I know Dima, hes a terrific individual and was prosecuted for informing the reality about Bucha and Mariupol, Alexander told The Moscow
Times, describing the sites of alleged Russian war criminal activities
Hundreds of thousands anti-war Russians have gotten away abroad since the start of the intrusion of Ukraine, settling in cities all over the
world-- but with particularly high concentrations in Turkey and the formerly Soviet countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus
In the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, a couple of dozen Navalny advocates rallied Saturday in the city center in spite of efforts by the
regional authorities to discourage people from requiring to the streets
Pro-Navalny protesters in Belgrade, Serbia.Leyla Latypova Technically speaking, they deserve to distribute us, Artyom, an editor at an
independent Russian media outlet Takie Dela, informed The Moscow Times in Bishkek, referring to a group of Kyrgyz authorities standing
The international demonstration project in support of Navalny lists the end of the war in Ukraine, the release of Navalny and other
political detainees and more pressure on the Russian regime from democratic countries among their demands
Rally organizers appeared to prevent being seen to put too much pressure on the federal governments of their host nations, likely in worry
of potential effects for members of recently established diaspora neighborhoods
Bishkek was the only city in Central Asia to stage a demonstration in spite of large numbers of Russian migrants living in cities all over
In Serbia, demonstration organizers stated they were wary of being seen to meddle in local politics
We are usually extremely careful about Serbian politics, this is not an easy country, Pyotr Nikitin, co-founder of the Russian Democratic
Society that organized the rally in Belgrade, said on the eve of the event
While Belgrade has seen an increase of anti-war Russians since the invasion of Ukraine, many Serbians are pro-Moscow and Serbia is the only
country in Europe not to have imposed sanctions on Russia
Both anti-war Serbs and Russian emigres in the Balkans country went to the rally Saturday
I initially came out to oppose in St.Petersburg when Navalny was arrested, so its really important for me to be here, stated Yegor, an
attendee at the Belgrade demonstration in his early 20s who was using pins in the colors of the Ukrainian flag
Its essential for Russians to take to the streets in the cities where they moved
We require to show we are not quiet, he informed The Moscow Times
The timing of the around the world rallies accompanies the two-year anniversary of Navalnys return to Russia from Germany where he was dealt
with after a near-fatal poisoning with banned Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok that he blames on the Kremlin
Navalny was jailed by Russian authorities right away upon arrival at Moscows Sheremetyevo Airport on Jan
I stated it two years ago, and I will state it once again: Russia is my country ..
I am a full-fledged resident and I deserve to unify with like-minded individuals and be politically active, Navalny wrote on Twitter on the
anniversary of his arrest recently
Pro-Navalny proteters in Yerevan Anastasia TenishevaObservers said the rallies were an effort to raise awareness about the plight of Russias
most popular opposition leader
Navalny has been behind bars for so long and Western coverage of Russia is controlled by Russias war on Ukraine, suggesting that he may
well have actually slipped out of focus for lots of
The project is a way to put him back on the radar, stated Ben Noble, co-author of the first English-language book about the opposition
Fans have been sounding alarm over Navalnys degrading health for weeks
Earlier this month, dozens of Russian medical professionals signed an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking him to stop
abusing the jailed Kremlin critic
In a video clip launched to accompany the campaign, Navalnys daughter Dariya Navalnaya stated her dad was being deliberately separated in
the optimal security jail outside of Moscow where he is serving a nine-year sentence
They are torturing him and depriving my dad of any connection with the world in order to silence him, Navalnaya said in the video
Despite the global efforts to bring Navalnys case back into the spotlight, the demonstrations will probably accomplish couple of concrete
outcomes, according to professional Noble
Its unlikely the group imagine the campaign will result in Navalny being freed, Noble told The Moscow Times
But it may serve to remind the Russian authorities that the world is viewing
