- Russian police have allegedly arrested the brother of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as they raid several properties connected to the Putin opponent
- According to the director of Alexei’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, Oleg Navalny was arrested in an apartment being rented by Alexei
- Exactly why he was arrested and why police were searching the apartment is still unclear
- The arrest comes days before a planned nationwide protest as Russian citizens demand the release of Alexei
- He was arrested in Moscow airport last week after returning from a Berlin hospital where he spent months recovering from a poisoning
- Alexei blames his poisoning on the Russian government
Russian police have allegedly arrested the brother of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as they raid several properties connected to the Putin opponent.
Alexei’s brother, Oleg, was allegedly detained on Wednesday as Alexei serves time in prison after being arrested in Moscow airport last week.
Alexei was returning to his home country after spending months in a Berlin hospital recovering from a suspected poisoning — a poisoning which he blames on the Russian government.
Police said they were arresting him for alleged parole violations, but Alexei and his team claim the arrest is purely politically motivated.
Either way, thousands of Russian citizens took to the streets over the weekend in protest of Alexei’s arrest, demanding the Russian government releases him.
Russian authorities have called the protests dangerous and started arresting Alexei’s supporters, sparking further outrage among President Vladimir Putin’s opponents.
Now, Russian police have allegedly arrested Alexei’s brother, though exactly why is unclear.
According to a tweet from Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Alexei’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, Oleg was in an apartment his brother was renting when police raided the place to search it. Oleg was then arrested at the scene.
Police are breaking down the door to Navalny’s wife’s flat. Simultaneous searches are on at another family apartment, in Navalny’s video studio, and at other activists’ homes. It’s ostensibly in connection with public health violations but clearly a move ahead of protests Sunday https://t.co/qnRrN75fXK
— max seddon (@maxseddon) January 27, 2021
Police allegedly searched the offices of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and other locations linked to Alexei, including his wife Yulia Navalnaya’s flat.
While it’s not sure what exactly the authorities were looking for, the searches and the arrest of Oleg Navalny come just days before another mass protest is being planned across Russia.
The United States Department of State joined the throng of voice calling for the release of Alexei and his detained supporters earlier this week.
At the time, a Kremlin spokesperson accused the U.S. of meddline in local affairs, though he said President Vladimir Putin is open to discussion about the issues at hand if the U.S. administration showed willingness to talk.