Russia rejects global criticism of Navalny as interference | Politics News

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Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny was arrested upon his return to Russia, returning five months after an alleged poisoning attack.

Russia has dismissed growing international criticism of the arrest of opposition figure Alexey Navalny as interference, saying the case against him is an internal matter.

Leaders of several Western countries, many of whom have asked Russia for answers regarding the alleged poisoning attack on Navalny in August, have called for the immediate release of critics of the Kremlin.

The latest measures taken by Moscow against Navalny add to the existing tensions between Russia and the West.

After Navalny’s arrest on Sunday evening, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia urged the European Union to react and hit Russia with sanctions.

On Monday, Navalny was jailed for 30 days pending a new hearing in a case relating to his 2014 suspended sentence for embezzlement. Navalny said the charges against him were politically motivated.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Moscow is aware of the reaction to Navalny’s arrest but cannot and does not consider considering the responses.

He is a Russian citizen breaking Russian law, Peskov told reporters on a conference call. This is an absolutely domestic matter and we will not allow anyone to interfere with it.

Peskov also put an end to the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin fears Navalny.

Different claims that someone is afraid of someone else are absolutely absurd, he said.

After being sent to jail, Navalny called on his supporters to take to the streets and demonstrate.

Peskov said the calls were alarming, but added that the Kremlin was not afraid of mass protests.

At least 13 protesters were arrested on Monday outside the police station on the outskirts of Moscow, where Navalnys hastily held a court hearing, and at least 55 protesters were arrested by police in St. Petersburg, the second largest city of Russia, according to activists. .

Navalny was arrested upon landing at Moscow airport, arriving from Berlin, where he had spent five months recovering from an alleged nerve poisoning attack he blames on the Kremlin, a charge the Russia denies.

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