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The Kremlin is preparing to use more force against Nabalani supporters: "It's just heating up"
Sources close to the Russian government have said they are confident of overcoming the latest protests, and are ready to use even greater force.
They mentioned the success of Belarus' Venezuelan rulers, who are close to Putin, in suppressing street demonstrations in much more difficult circumstances.
"Oppressive regimes have great capabilities"
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Russia
Alexei Navalny
Vladimir Putin
Reuters
Thursday, 04 February 2021, 19:12
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In the video: About 1,400 detainees in riots that broke out in Russia after the verdict against Navalny (Photo: Reuters)
The Kremlin believes it can easily repel protests across the country against the incarceration of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and is willing to use more force against the protesters if necessary, two Russian government officials said.
Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic, was sent to prison on Tuesday for about three years after his arrest ignited three nationwide demonstrations and Western condemnations while considering further sanctions on Moscow.
Thousands have been arrested, some of Navalny's key allies are under house arrest or outside Russia, and police are using increasingly harsh tactics, including beating protesters with clubs, and sometimes attacking journalists.
"It's just a warm-up," the first source said of the police response.
"The real adventures will definitely come later. The scenario of a much stronger response across the country is completely realistic."
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To the full article
Putin is still more popular than him.
Nabalani in court, today (Photo: Reuters)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that police used harsh but legitimate countermeasures in response to "numerous attacks" on it by protesters taking part in illegal demonstrations.
He said authorities are investigating isolated complaints of violence by police.
Both sources, familiar with the Kremlin's mindset on the issue of demonstrations, pointed to neighboring Belarus, where President Alexander Lukashenko, with Moscow's support, successfully survived months of demonstrations.
They also mentioned Venezuela, against which President Nicholas Maduro had won large demonstrations.
The Kremlin, according to both sources, has concluded that it is in a stronger position compared to these two regimes, and has nothing to fear.
"The scenario tested in Belarus has proven to be effective. They (the Kremlin) will certainly not get down on their knees. Lukashenko has survived. His generation is fine. And what we have in our streets is far from what they had," the first source said.
The second source noted that the socio-economic situation in Russia, which has deteriorated in the wake of the corona plague, is nowhere near that of Venezuela, and that most citizens in Russia are conservatives who do not want change, so the opposition will struggle.
"The Kremlin is far from scared," the other source said.
"Belarus has shown that oppressive regimes have great capabilities. Venezuela is also showing this, and there the people are really hungry - there are no salaries, terrible unemployment and crime. There is none of that in Russia. That is why the Kremlin has enormous resources."
"Street protests fade sooner or later."
Arrest by protesters in St. Petersburg, this week (Photo: Reuters)
Some Western experts believe the Kremlin's exaggerated expression of confidence hides its concerns.
"As much as the Kremlin radiates confidence that it can fend off any protest, it's probably more concerned: just as with the massive use of force on the streets, it's all an attempt to convince people that resistance is useless," said Professor Mark Glaotti, a senior fellow at a research institute in London.
Others, like Dmitry Orshkin, an independent political commentator from Moscow, believe the Kremlin is right in the confidence it demonstrates.
He said the demonstrations did not pose a threat to him due to the lack of a counter-elite or a real political alternative to Putin, who according to an independent poll from Thursday remained much more popular than Nabalani.
"The people sitting in the Kremlin are pragmatists and have studied the recent history of the region and have seen that street protests fade sooner or later," Orshkin said.
"And the generals who oversee these protests understand that no one will punish them for excessive violence, but that they may be punished if they are too soft."
Putin, 68, has been in control of Russian politics since 2000 and could rule until 2036 thanks to constitutional changes approved last year.
He successfully dealt with street demonstrations throughout his rule, the largest of which in 2012 with his return to the post of president after four years as prime minister.
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