Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman has followed him into a prison cell as Kremlin loyalists seek to quell protests supporting the dissident and poisoning survivor, despite the risk of stoking tensions with the Biden administration and its Western allies.
“The only appropriate stance is in favor of abiding by the law and against the organization of unauthorized activities, let alone attempts to incite young people and children to take part in them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday.
Navalny aide Kira Yarmysh received a nine-day prison sentence from a Moscow court due to her support for protests against Navalny’s arrest. He was seized immediately upon his return from Germany, where he had recovered from the chemical weapon that Russian intelligence officers apparently used to poison him in August — an assault that will trigger a new round of tension with the United States at the outset of President Biden’s tenure.
“The Biden-Harris administration will move to impose costs on Mr. Navalny’s attackers and stand with all of those advocating for democracy and universal rights — whether in Russia or elsewhere around the world,” U.S. envoy Courtney Austrian, the top American diplomat at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe following the end of the Trump administration, said Thursday.
Biden’s team maintained that the controversy points to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political fragility, despite his apparently firm grip on power.
“The Kremlin’s attacks against Mr. Navalny and its sustained crackdown on the freedoms of all Russians are yet another sign of a regime that is lacking confidence — so paranoid that it is unwilling to tolerate any criticism or dissent,” Austrian said.
Navalny’s team responded to his arrest by releasing a video that purports to reveal the details of a secret palace dedicated to Putin’s enjoyment, replete with seedy details about the gargantuan residence.
“[One] room is also equipped with a large stage and an extraordinary thing: the stage has an elevator with a pole,” the video narrator says in mock confusion, appearing to suggest it resembles the setup of a strip club. “We cannot imagine what a pole on a stage is for.”
Putin has maintained a public show of indifference to Navalny, refusing even to use his name. The Kremlin chief referred to him merely as “the Berlin patient” in a recent press conference, in a seeming attempt to downplay his significance even while suggesting that Navalny “has the support of the American intelligence services.”
However, the video about Putin’s alleged mansion drew a sharp denial. “It is just a lie,” Peskov said. “The entire compilation and the files that the report contains are an outstanding myth to attract a large number of viewers.”
Peskov also attacked the credibility of the Navalny supporters planning to protest his arrest this weekend. “The actions of the provocateurs are clear to us, they are very clear to the law enforcement bodies, and corresponding measures are taken against these provocateurs,” he said, per state-run TASS.
