Navalny's support actions show increase in protest moods in towns of Southern Russia

Participation of residents of small towns of Southern Russia in actions in support of Alexei Navalny indicate a penetration of protest moods deep into the country, by analogy with Belarus, the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that protest actions began after the arrest of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who returned to Russia after his treatment from poisoning. Navalny said that Russian authorities were behind the attempt on his life. On February 2, the court appointed Navalny 3.5 years in colony instead of his earlier conditional imprisonment under the "Yves Richer" case.

The actions of January 23 and 31 showed that protest sentiments are strong not only in large cities, says Alexander Strizoe, a member of the Club of Experts of the Lower Volga Region and Professor at Volgograd State University.

"The fact that not only regional capitals, but also small towns took part in the actions in Southern Russia, speaks of the penetration of protest moods deep into the country. Here, I see an analogy with Belarus, where protests were first in Minsk, and then in regional centres, and even in small dwelling settlements," Mr Strizoe told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Residents of small towns in Southern Russia are increasingly involved in all-Russian political processes, said Sergey Zhavoronkov, a senior researcher at the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy. "In the city of Pyatigorsk, where I come from, the first unsanctioned action since August 1991 was held. It seems to me that throughout Russia there was this effect of involvement of residents of small towns in actions," Mr Zhavoronkov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 2, 2021 at 09:32 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.