Navalny supporters said they were planning nationwide protests in at least 120 cities, each starting at 12 noon local time in the city. The country covers 11 time zones.
Live video feeds and videos on social media show crowds of people in a number of cities gathering and singing ‘Putin is a thief’, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny was detained on January 17, moments after arriving in Moscow, after months of treatment in Germany after being poisoned by nerve agent Novichok in August 2020. He blames the poisoning of the Russian government, an allegation that the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
The politician is currently in custody ahead of a court hearing on February 2, where a court will decide whether to suspend his suspended sentence on charges of fraud in a 2014 case for embezzlement in a jail sentence due to the Russian authorities’ violation of the conditions of his suspended sentence.
During the trial, Navalny urged protesters to keep coming out.
“This is the last hurdle that prevents the rulers from stealing everything. They are the real patriots,” he said. “You will not be able to intimidate us – we are the majority.”
Russia’s Interior Ministry has warned Russian citizens not to take part in the “unauthorized” protests. “Russia’s Interior Ministry is appealing to citizens not to take part in unauthorized protests,” the ministry said in an Instagram post.
Russian federal law requires organizers to file an appeal with local authorities at least ten days in advance to obtain permission to hold a protest.
Navalny’s team announced new rallying points for protesters in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg via their social media accounts after Russian authorities blocked off certain streets and metro stations before the rallies.
Security forces could be seen early Sunday in the streets of Moscow, including on Lubyanka Square, home to the headquarters of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
According to OVD-Info, an independent website monitoring arrests, 519 people have so far been detained across Russia because of the unapproved protests. This number is expected to increase.
Live video of protests in the Russian city of Novosibirsk, in Siberia, shows police detaining drivers honking their car horns in support of the protesters. In response, protesters were heard shouting, “Let them go!”
People could be seen with their elbows linked, forming chains and “Freedom!” and “Give us money back!” while standing in front of the town hall in the center of Novosibirsk. Rows of riot police stood in front of them.
Protesters marching along the snowy streets could be heard chanting, “Russia without Putin!” and “one for all and all for one.”
Authorities announced before Sunday’s protests that certain streets in the center of Moscow would be closed, seven metro stations would be closed and that no alcohol could be sold in glass containers all day.
In addition, the mayor’s office in Moscow said cafes, restaurants and other catering facilities in the city center would be closed on Sunday, according to the Russian state media agency TASS.