As of: January 18, 2024, 4:40 p.m
By: Felix Busjaeger
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There have been protests in Russia.
The police in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan used violence against people.
© Stringer/Sota/Afp
Things are simmering in Russia.
Thousands of people demonstrate against the arrest of an activist.
Experts expect further turmoil.
Update from January 18, 2024, 4:50 p.m.:
A video on social media is symbolic of the growing anger against Vladimir Putin in parts of Russia.
According to a report by the US news portal Newsweek, the video comes from the Russian republic of Bashkortostan.
Several police buses can be seen moving away from a group of demonstrators at high speed in a snow-covered landscape.
The authenticity of the images cannot be verified until further notice.
It is now certain that there were numerous riots during the demonstrations in Bashkotostan.
Things are simmering in Russia - serious riots at demonstrations
First report from January 17, 2024:
Baimak - After a verdict against the eco-activist Fail Alsynov, Russian society is simmering: As several news agencies report, thousands of people in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan on the Volga demonstrated against the conviction.
The protest comes before the presidential elections in Russia, in which Vladimir Putin wants to have his office confirmed.
Protest in Russia over verdict against activists: Largest demonstration since the start of the Ukraine war
It's about alleged racist statements, which is why the Russian activist Alsynow was sentenced to four years in prison.
According to the independent Internet portal
Wjorstka,
more than 3,000 people gathered in front of the courthouse in the small town of Baimak to support Alsynov.
Observers spoke of one of the largest protests in Russia since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine.
The demonstrators chanted “Freedom for Alsynov” and demanded the resignation of the regional leader Radii Khabirov, on whose demand the trial against the eco-activist had been initiated.
As the
German Press Agency
writes, security forces are said to have tried to force the crowd away.
Among other things, batons, stun grenades and tear gas are said to have been used.
According to Ostoroshno Novosti,
the demonstrators threw snowballs and pieces of ice
at the police .
According to media reports, 15 people were injured.
Several people were therefore arrested.
The regional judiciary told the Tass
agency that they were being investigated for organizing and participating in mass unrest
.
Turmoil before the presidential election in Russia: activist spoke of genocide because of the war in Ukraine
The exact number of participants in the protest is unclear.
Various sources report up to 10,000 sympathizers.
Alsynov's trial was preceded by a speech at a meeting in April 2023 in the village of Izhmursino, at which the activist was said to have used the term "kara chalyik".
Literally translated it means “black people”, colloquially for “common people”.
Regional chief Khabirov then filed a complaint and the public prosecutor and judge adopted the interpretation that the activist was fomenting “ethnic hatred”.
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While the case was clear to the public prosecutor's office and Alsynov used a Russian insult that denigrates people from the Caucasus and Central Asia, the convicted man sees an intrigue against himself.
Alsynov was one of the leaders of the protests against the mining of the Kushtau limestone mountain in Bashkortostan.
As a result of the demonstrations, Kushtau was declared a protected natural monument in 2020.
At the same time, the 37-year-old campaigned for greater autonomy for the republic and the protection of the Bashkir language.
The Bashkort organization he co-led was classified as extremist and banned in 2020.
He also described the war in Ukraine as a “genocide of the Bashkir people.”
“This is not our war,” he criticized the invasion.
According to media reports, the Bashkortostan region is one of the Russian regions with above-average losses in the Ukraine war.
“The situation is coming to a head”: authorities use violence against protests in Russia – comparison to the end of the Soviet Union
The riots in the Urals come at an unfavorable time for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin boss repeatedly emphasizes the unity of Russian society and is trying to maintain this appearance before the presidential election.
As reported by Bayerischer Rundfunk
, among others
, authorities are said to have already started blocking Telegram channels and restricting local online communication during the riots.
On Telegram, political scientist Abbas Galliamov said: “The situation in Bashkortostan is getting worse.” At the same time, he warned of the possible consequences of the protests.
The authorities must “be very tough in suppressing discontent,” said Galliamov.
This would then result in painful memories being awakened.
This is how the Soviet Union once collapsed, the expert wrote.
“The authorities themselves are now laying a bomb under the leadership of Russia.”
Current developments in Russia: Protests could plunge Putin into a serious crisis
Other experts also see current developments in Russia as having the potential to plunge the country into a serious crisis.
In current analyzes of the situation, which are shared in Telegram channels, among others, they point out that the protest in Russia could start on a small scale and then spread like a wildfire.
The discontent against Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine has now shifted from the cities to the countryside and is difficult for the authorities to control there.
How the unrest in Russia will develop is currently difficult to estimate.
According to official information, an investigation has been opened against numerous demonstrators for organizing “mass riots” and violence against the police.
The charge of “rioting” can result in up to 15 years in prison, and violence against the police can result in up to five years.
Street protest is extremely rare in Russia, where any criticism of the leadership can be punished with prison.
There were larger protest movements in autumn 2022, when hundreds of thousands of reservists were mobilized to reinforce the troops in Ukraine.
It is possible that further unrest could now follow.
(fbu/afp/dpa)