“Peaceful protests” will end in a series of criminal cases of attack on security forces
Illegal opposition protests in Russia on January 23 were accompanied by violence against security forces, which will lead to the initiation of criminal cases. The media and social networks publish videos showing the work of law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of citizens during rallies.
Today, January 23, illegal rallies organized by opposition figures took place in Russia. In particular, employees of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK, recognized as a foreign agent) of Alexei Navalny, who is currently in a pre-trial detention center, were involved in the organization and calls to take to the streets of cities. On the eve of the uncoordinated event, Navalny’s team circulated on social networks list Russian cities with places and times of events. Some FBK employees, in particular Leonid Volkov, called these actions "peaceful protest".
A series of crimes under Art. 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
The protesters were most active in large cities, but Moscow, St. Petersburg and Vladivostok were especially noted. The media and Telegram channels published reports from places with large crowds of people, in which representatives of law and order were ensuring the safety of citizens at an uncoordinated, and therefore illegal, opposition rally.
In Vladivostok, after numerous clashes between police and aggressive activists and provocateurs, at least two criminal cases were opened under Part 1 of Art. 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (use of violence against a government official in connection with the performance of his official duties), which provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of up to five years.
In one of the videos taken from the scene in a Far Eastern city, two people attacked a police officer, punching him several times in the head near an official car.
In another incident, a man attacked a security officer from behind, first trying to throw him to the ground by grabbing his neck and kicking him, and then struck him several times with his hands.
The Investigative Committee is conducting pre-investigation checks into the use of violence against law enforcement officers in the center of Moscow. This was reported by the senior assistant to the head of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for Moscow, Yulia Ivanova.
“During the unsanctioned action in the center of Moscow, a number of cases of violence against employees protecting public order were revealed. As part of these checks, all facts of illegal activities will be established, and the actions of the persons who committed them will be assessed,” Ivanova said.
In the capital city, clashes were accompanied by attempts to beat police officers by a group of people, while in the crowd there were provocateurs chanting insults against the police and calling for violence against them. For example, collisions in which there was an open attack against security forces, happened on Strastnoy Boulevard. Video recordings show how employees, gathered in a tight ring, try to fight off attacks with their feet from dozens of activists. Similar incidents in which police had to restrain violent protesters occurred near Pushkinskaya Square.
On official information Ministry of Internal Affairs at 14:40 Moscow time, about 4 thousand people took part in the action.
It is worth noting that at the rallies throughout Russia there were a large number of minors who were are involved into protest activities using the TikTok platform, popular among young people. On the problem of using children in illegal events was expressed Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of the Russian Federation Anna Kuznetsova.
“There are regions where there have been incidents, and some of the detainees include minors. In Vladivostok, where children were lined up in a human chain, in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk there were also arrests. Five teenagers have already been handed over to their parents, the issue with other detainees whose parents live in other cities is being resolved,” Kuznetsova said.
The security forces showed loyalty
St. Petersburg also faced a large number of clashes on the streets, during which security forces were thrown with snow and various objects, carried out provocations and showed cruelty. An indicative incident occurred near St. Isaac's Cathedral. The unknown man behaved inappropriately, first jumping onto a police tow truck, and after the comments of the traffic police officer, hit him in the face, then fled the scene. It is worth noting that this person was detained, and now, apparently, another criminal case will be initiated against him under Art. 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Ensuring law and order is a priority task for security forces, which confirms incident of detention of a person, who did not share Navalny’s views and publicly criticized him in a crowd of people. It is possible that the arrest was carried out so that force would not be used against him by other protesters, as was the case in a similar situation during parallel protests in Moscow. In addition, riot police officers carried out many arrests without further drawing up administrative protocols, simply temporarily isolating people who exhibited socially dangerous behavior.
Law enforcement officers also repeatedly showed loyalty to the activists who came to the unsanctioned rally. Thus, videos appeared in the media, social networks and Telegram channels in which security forces throughout Russia helped protesters, explained to minors about the dangers of being at such mass events and using various methods ensured the safety of citizens, even showing obvious aggression and violence towards them.
For example, in Krasnoyarsk a policeman helped save a protest participantwho had a seizure. The young man fell with convulsions, the security officer provided first aid. The protester was later taken away by ambulance.
In St. Petersburg, a father with two children tried to break through the crowd to take them to an art school. A 9-year-old girl, in a crowd of people, let go of her hand and got lost in the stream of people. Father of the child approached a riot police officer asking for help. The security forces transmitted signs over a megaphone, and after 40 minutes they found the lost child and brought him to his father.
Despite attempts by provocateurs and individual activists to organize large-scale clashes between people and security forces, the protests took place peacefully in most Russian cities. Law enforcement officers were able to keep the situation under control and ensure the safety of citizens at unauthorized, illegal rallies throughout the country, using force only in exceptional cases. Despite this, those responsible for attacks on security forces will be brought to justice, and the “peaceful actions” announced by the FBK will ultimately end in a series of criminal cases involving the use of violence against police officers.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.