Alexei Nawalny is considered the most prominent Kremlin critic of Russia. Now, according to his statements, the Russian police have searched dozens of offices of his anti-corruption foundation FBK. As Nawalny said in the short message service Twitter, were affected from Tuesday morning nationwide at least 30 addresses. "The Russian law enforcement system uses all its forces to protect corrupt officials and bribe-takers," wrote the opposition leader.
It had already been the "third wave of searches", he continued. FBK Foundation Director Ivan Zhdanov said the searches took place in 15 Russian cities. Investigators had also stopped in front of the Moscow offices.
Last week, the Russian government classified Nawalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation as an "agent of foreign affairs". This assessment allows the Kremlin to monitor the foundation more closely.
Navalny calls the Kremlin's "hysteria"
Russian authorities accuse Nawalny's Foundation of receiving funds from abroad, which it denies. In August, the judiciary began investigations into the foundation and frozen its accounts. The fund was suspected of having committed money laundering worth a billion rubles (about 14 million euros).
The police had been acting against Nawalny's supporters on a grand scale just a month ago, shortly after the regional election. The Kremlin critic and his team had called for protests because of the exclusion of oppositionists in the vote in Moscow. In addition, Nawalny campaigned for a "smart vote" in which the citizens should all vote - only not the candidates of the Kremlin.
Navalny considers the Kremlin's actions against his foundation as the result of a "hysteria" that has developed in the context of local elections. After numerous mass demonstrations by the opposition, the Kremlin-loyal parties lost a large part of their mandates. Nawalny served a 30-day prison sentence in July and August for organizing unauthorized demonstrations.
