People in dozens of Russian cities joined protests in support of the jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny, responding to calls from Navalny's allies who have said he is dangerously ill in prison while on a hunger strike.
Protests took place in most cities in Russia, from Vladivostok in the far east to Moscow and St. Petersburg, with crowds ranging from a few dozen to thousands and people turning out despite warnings from authorities that they would face arrest. People gathered in central squares or marched, chanting "Freedom to Navalny." In many places, they were confronted by police, who arrested several hundred people but generally did not move to aggressively disperse the protests.MORE: Russia moves Alexey Navalny to prison hospital as allies warn his life is at risk
Navalny's team called for the protests over the weekend, saying it was an "emergency" and painting it as a "final battle" to save life of the Kremlin's fiercest opponent and rescue his movement from destruction.
His allies and doctors have warned Navalny's health has sharply deteriorated after three weeks of a hunger strike, perhaps exacerbated by lingering effects of his nerve agent poisoning last year, and that he could die in "a matter of days." They said Navalny's life depended on how many people came out onto the streets.
The biggest crowd was in Moscow, where thousands of people gathered a few hundred yards from the Kremlin, chanting "Putin is a thief." It was difficult to estimate the crowd's size, but ABC News reporters on the ground, as well as several other observers, estimated it was over 10,000. In the Siberian city of Yekaterinburg, local authorities estimated around 5,000 people took part, and other large cities saw crowds of a few thousand, unusual for places that rarely see protests.
Police were noticeably more hands-off during these protests than they were in January, when battalions of riot police closed down city centers and aggressively detained thousands, beating people with clubs and electro-shockers.
This time, there were fewer riot police, and officers often stood watching, without moving to disperse the crowds. Police still detained over 1,200 across Russia on Wednesday, according to OVD-Info, a group that tracks arrests, but that's far fewer than in January, when over 5,000 were detained in a single day. Almost half of the detentions happened in St. Petersburg, where police appeared to be more aggressive, moving against a crowd of several thousand.
The turnout seems likely to do little to persuade the Kremlin, which has appeared determined to crush Navalny's movement, that it cannot control the protest movement inspired by him.
Last week, prosecutors moved to have Navalny's key organizations, the Anti-Corruption Fund and his regional campaign offices, declared "extremist groups," a step that would equate them to terrorist organizations. Under the legislation, Navalny's movement would be effectively outlawed, and anyone participating in it or even voicing public support for it could face a lengthy prison sentence.
"Very many people are afraid. A lot of people are afraid to lose their jobs," said Daria, 32, a protester in Moscow who did not want to give her last name for fear of reprisal. "But we need more people to come out."MORE: Russia moves troops near Ukraine: Analysts explain what's behind the buildup
The protest was timed to coincide with a major speech from President Vladimir Putin, who gave his annual state-of-the-nation address Wednesday. The address was closely watched this year because of tensions over Russia's military buildup close to Ukraine that has sparked a war scare.
Putin has previously used the speech to make major announcements -- such as unveiling constitutional changes that could extend his rule to 2036 -- and there had been speculation he might again announce new actions relating to Ukraine or neighboring Belarus. But in the end, though Putin made threatening warnings to the West, he did not make any major foreign policy announcements.
Instead, Putin focused on domestic issues, urging people to get vaccinated against coronavirus and announcing new social spending, aimed at reassuring Russians hurt by the economic fallout of the pandemic.
Putin did warn the West against crossing Russia's "red lines" and focused in particular on Belarus, where he accused Western countries of backing a supposed coup attempt against its leader Alexander Lukashenko, that Russian and Belarusian security services claimed to uncover over the weekend, which many observers believe is a fabrication.
"The practice of organizing state coups, plans for political killings,” Putin said, “That is already too much. They’ve already crossed all boundaries.
To applause, Putin said Russia doesn't want to "burn bridges" but warned that if other countries did so, Russia's response would be "asymmetric, quick and harsh."
Western countries, including the United States, have warned Russia that there will be consequences if Navalny dies in prison.
Navalny began his hunger strike three weeks ago to demand that his doctors be allowed to treat him for severe back pain caused by two herniated discs. Over the weekend, his team began sounding the alarm that his condition was deteriorating rapidly and accused the Kremlin of killing Navalny in slow motion.
Doctors helping Navalny's family have said his blood tests show he has dangerously high levels of potassium that could cause his heart to stop at "any minute" and that his kidneys may also be failing. In such a state, his doctors say he should be in intensive care.
Russia's prison service has insisted his condition is "satisfactory" and on Sunday moved Navalny to a hospital at a different nearby prison, where he has been given a glucose drip, according to his lawyers.
Navalny himself in a message Tuesday appeared to resist his doctors' prognoses that he was at risk of imminent death and said he is determined to continue his hunger strike. In the message posted on Instagram by his team, Navalny wrote that he "laughed" when he saw the warnings about his potassium levels, writing "you won't take me that easily."MORE: How Putin keeps his grip over Russia, even with support waning
"After Novichok, potassium isn't frightening," Navalny wrote, referring to the nerve agent that nearly killed him.
Russia's human rights ombudswoman Tatiana Moskalkova on Wednesday said that four doctors not from the prison service had visited Navalny and found that for now there was "no serious risks" to him. Moskalkova told Russian reporters that the doctors for now considered his treatment with the drip to be sufficient.
Russia moves to outlaw Navalny's movement as doctors plead for access to him in prison
Prosecutors seek to declare the Putin critic's organisations "extremist."
Russian authorities have moved to designate the organizations of opposition leader Alexey Navalny as "extremist groups" in a step that effectively would outlaw his political movement.
The move is the most serious attack so far by authorities on Navalny's movement as the Kremlin seeks to break the opposition fomented by its fiercest critic, who was sent to in a prison camp for 2 1/2 years in February.
Russia's decision comes as doctors supporting Navalny have warned the state of his health is becoming dangerous in prison, where he's been on a hunger strike for more than two weeks and has accused authorities of denying him medical care.
Russia's general prosecutor's office on Friday released a statement saying it had filed a request seeking to have Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund as well as his regional campaign branches declared "extremist" under legislation normally used for terrorist groups and violent religious sects.
The prosecutor's office said it was filing the request on the grounds that Navalny's groups were "creating conditions for changing the foundations of the constitutional order," including supposedly through foreign-backed revolution.
Russia in recent years has enacted draconian legislation, nominally to help thwart terror groups, but the measures increasingly are being wielded against critics of President Vladimir Putin. If declared "extremist," Navalny's organizations would be banned -- anyone deemed to be participating in or aiding them could face lengthy prison sentences.
"Well there we are. They have decided to steamroll the FBK and the campaign headquarters," Ivan Zhdanov, the Anti-Corruption Fund's director, wrote on Twitter. "We won't surrender."
The Anti-Corruption Fund, known by the initials FBK, publishes investigations revealing the allegedly ill-gotten wealth of Putin and other powerful Russians. The FBK, along with regional branch offices, helps organize peaceful protests against corruption and calls for an end to Putin's rule. But the groups don't advocate for violence or overthrowing the state by force.
The Anti-Corruption Fund this week published a new video investigation unveiling what it said was a secret residence for Putin in northwest Russia, complete with an elaborate spa complex.
Leonid Volkov, a top lieutenant of Navalny, said the announcement on Friday meant the Kremlin had still not decided whether to go through with outlawing the group, telling people "don't keep quiet."
Authorities have kept up intense pressure on Navalny's movement since he returned to Russia in January, having recovered from his near fatal poisoning with a nerve agent last summer. His arrest caused thousands to protest, but Navalny's allies were forced to call off street demonstrations in February in the face of an intense police crackdown.
Concerns have been mounting over Navalny's health in prison, where, in addition to the hunger strike, he said he's been refused proper treatment for back pain so severe it limits his walking. And just last week, Navalny was moved to the prison's medical ward suffering from a respiratory illness and a high temperature.
On Friday, doctors supporting Navalny wrote an open letter to the head of Russia's prison service pleading for negotiations with prison doctors to agree on a treatment plan, saying Navalny's worsening condition could be life-threatening.
"We express extreme concern about his state, which is approaching critical," the doctors, some of who are activists, wrote. The doctors wrote in the letter that medical tests show Navalny is suffering renal impairment that could lead to serious problems his circulatory system "up to a heart attack."
Navalny's wife and mother said they visited him this week and were alarmed by how weak he was.
"Aleksey, as always, keeps his spirit. He talks just as cheerfully, but quietly. He coughs badly, breathes with difficulty," his mother, Lyudmila, wrote in an Instagram post.
Navalny said in a message on Friday that prison authorities were threatening to start force-feeding him if he didn't feed himself. In a message posted to his Instagram account by his team, Navalny wrote he would refuse and that he was demanding to be examined by his own doctor.
"My head is spinning heavily," Navalny said, "but I'm still going for now because I feel your support. Thank you!"
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