Demonstrations were organized this Sunday across Russia to demand the release of the opponent to the Kremlin, Alexeï Navalny.
At least 4,027 people were arrested, said the NGO OVD-Info.
According to this organization specializing in monitoring protests in Russia, the arrests took place mainly in Moscow (1167), but also in Saint Petersburg (862), the country's second city, or in Krasnoyarsk (194), in Siberia and other major cities in the country.
These rallies follow a first day of mobilization last Saturday which brought together tens of thousands of protesters and resulted in more than 4,000 arrests, as well as the opening of about twenty criminal cases.
"Putin is evil"
Despite the threats, Ekatarina Britchkina, a 39-year-old protester, did not hesitate to pave the way in Moscow.
She said she was "more afraid of what will happen in the country if we do not go out in the street".
“It's repression, we throw innocent people in prison,” says Daria, a 34-year-old veterinarian.
In St. Petersburg, another opposition stronghold, nearly 2,000 people gathered in the city center were dispersed by riot forces.
Putin is evil.
There is no future with him, impossible to live with such salaries and so little work, ”said Andrei, a 30-year-old protester.
On Twitter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced Russia's "continued use of brutal tactics against peaceful protesters and journalists for the second week in a row" and called on the Russian authorities to release Alexei Navalny and his supporters .
What we see today has nothing to do with protecting rights or fighting for a better life.
What we are seeing today is a provocation, ”declared Vladimir Putin's human rights envoy, Valeri Fadeev, for his part.
These new demonstrations are taking place against the backdrop of the appearance of Alexey Navalny before judges, scheduled for next week.
The opponent is targeted by multiple legal proceedings, which he considers to be politically motivated.