I want new

Promotion "Freedom to Navalny!" in Moscow - how did the specialists of the "Medusa" saw her, which spent all day on the streets of the capital

On Saturday, January 23, protests were held throughout Russia, whose participants demanded to release the politician of Alexei Navalny from the investigative insulator and stop political repressions in the country. Despite the fact that rallies and processions were not agreed with the authorities, and the police, as a rule, harshly dispersed people, a huge number of citizens took to the streets; Moreover, the regions were especially impressive. According to various estimates , 20-40 thousand people gathered in the center of Moscow. In total, more than 2,800 people were detained in Russia, more than 1000 people in the capital (according to the OVD-info at the time of publication of this material). All day on the streets of Moscow, the Medusa special scenes were observed for what was happening. Here is their story.

If you missed everything

Alexei Navalny was detained on January 17 - less than an hour after his return to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for poisoning by a “newcomer”. The next day, the visiting court in Khimki sent Navalny to the Moscow investigative insulator "Sailor Silence". Soon, a video message of an opposition policy appeared on the Web, in which he urged his supporters to take to the streets. The same appeal-to go out on the streets of January 23 in his support-ends on January 19, the film-investigation of the corruption Fund about the "Putin Palace" worth 100 billion rubles. This film has become the most popular video of Navalny’s team - it already has more than 70 million views on YouTube.

The authorities in advance declared Saturday street shares inconsistent and illegal. The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that in connection with “calls for the participation of January 23, 2021 in illegal mass events”, she takes “prosecutor’s response measures” - and, in particular, demanded that Roskomnadzor block any resources that discuss the organization of January’s shares in defense of Navalny.

Morning

On Saturday morning, a joke situation was discussed on social networks: on the eve of the Panorama satirical news agency, which produces crazy invented news, wrote that on January 23, they would begin to emergently shift the tiles throughout Moscow. In the morning, the correspondent of the serious publication “ Project ” found that on Pushkinskaya Square (where the protesters were planning to meet at 14:00) really shifting tiles - however, only on a small part of it.

They began to enclose Pushkinskaya on Friday in the evening, and by the morning of Saturday the fences were already on the whole of Tverskaya Street - from Pushkinskaya to Manezhnaya Square, as well as in the alleys along Tverskaya; The police patrols and auto -zaks were on duty immediately. The first detention in the square occurred before 10 in the morning: a lonely man with a sign “I'm not afraid” took to the Tver ATS.

Closer to noon on the square, additional fences are exposed, only one exit from the Pushkinskaya metro station works. People arrive, but at this time the number of protesters in the square is still comparable to the number of police officers and journalists. Citizens are just standing: without posters and without slogans.

When there are already several hundred people on Pushkinskaya, the police begins regular detentions, using the favorite tactics of riot police: the police chain enters the crowd, pulls out one person out of it and leads to a car zak. No one is trying to resist.

The loudspeaker is spinning an appeal to the audience, calling for "not to create mass accumulations in order to avoid the spread of coronaviral infection, observe a social distance, use masks and gloves." So far, everything is rather calm: the police do not displace anyone and hits anyone.

At about an hour in the afternoon, a group of people comes to the square, who, in the appearance of nodists-activists of the pro-government “national liberation movement”: tunic, caps, Soviet badges, St. George ribbons. They begin to sing songs with words like “Alexei Anatolyevich returned how we are glad”; They are quickly detained and released just as quickly.

The Medusa correspondent asks a girl with green eyebrows (she says she is 17 but looks younger) why she is here. “I don’t know for sure, but you can't sit at home,” she replies. Then he explains that she came not so much in the support of Navalny as because she "indignant at all." “It’s scary, and for a very long time,” the girl continues, wary pushing away from the police passing by. “But if you are afraid, nothing will change.”

In the middle of the square on a folding chair, a colorful elderly woman in a pink beret sits and smokes. The police glance in her direction, but do not fit. The woman's name is Elizaveta Maksimova. “I have been here for 20 years. Chronicle of Chechen events when there was a war. Chronicle of Afghan events - we stood on the other side, ”she says“ Medusa ”. - And now the chronicle of Moscow events. Era go. And then we were only the elderly, middle -aged. Now the youth has increased, thank God. ”

A man in a checkered jacket came with a dachshund, the dog now and then rests with the front paws to the owner and presses his face. The man’s name is Alexei, Cuzya is a dachshund. Alexei tells the Medusa correspondent that he went to the action because he wants to support Navalny. “In general, I am not satisfied with the policy of Vladimir Putin. Putin himself is indifferent to me. I am not satisfied with his policy, ”says Alexei. He is not afraid of detention and says that Kuzya who came with him is also: "She is afraid of the cold, and she is also not afraid of anything either."

Day

Closer to 14:00 people on Pushkinskaya are becoming more and more, and the detentions are more and more tougher. The police leads to a car gear to a girl who distributes the leaflets “Memo during the detention”. They shout from the crowd: "Shame!" And "Do not shift everyone!"

People arrive, detention continues. Blogger Ilya Varlamov is taken to the autozak. Protesters, gathered to the left of the monument, applaud him. They escort with applause in a car zak and a girl who was seized for the distribution of the memo. Varlamov is soon released. The girl is not.

On the other hand, people are less peacefully tuned from the monument. They chant the security forces passing by: "Shame!" Separate shouts are also heard: “Are you not ashamed? Raise your heads! " And "garbage is a shame on Russia!" For the last one, they immediately detain a woman - and then a man who tried to intercede for her.

“There are seven people,” the man says standing next to him on the lawn, pointing to riot police. - There are more of us! Now, if you tear the head ... ”From different sides, calls are heard not to retreat under the onslaught of the security forces and not let them detain people. Many protesters follow them: do not allow employees of riot police and police to grab people from the crowd - and throw snowballs into them. Soon, the audience in the square manages to push the security forces to the road.

Many are lining up at the monument to Pushkin with posters (mainly for some reason red-white): “I am against lawlessness”, “I'm not afraid”, “Do not be afraid. Do not be silent. " And also “one for all, and all for one” with a portrait of Navalny, “gate scum, from the homeland sweet!” And "Thank you for coming."

About 15 minutes before the intended start of the action, the audience begin to chant: “Russia without Putin!”, “Freedom to Navalny!”, “Gang of resignation!”, “Down with the power of the Nazis!”. People are trying not to give the OMON new detainees, trying to keep them with the whole crowd. More and more people are arriving from Tverskaya, there are already thousands on Pushkinskaya; It becomes crowded.

People shout: "We are a law here!" And “Putin - go away!”, The police recede to the gas stations. The record translated through the loudspeaker about the need to observe the social distance changes to the new one: “Dear citizens! This event is illegal. We do everything to ensure your security. Be vigilant. Leave an illegal event. "

After 14 hours, numerous posters are unfolded on the square, from the typical "one for all and all for one!" With a portrait of Navalny to the Red Banner with the Socialist -Revolutionary slogan “You will find your right in the struggle” (which looks quite natural next to the slogans “Down with the king!”. The girl in red beret holds a large poster with the inscription "I want new."

Many came with the toilet ruffs (the allusion to the film about the “Putin Palace”, which mentions the purchase of ruffs for the toilet of 62 thousand rubles apiece), another man came with a rubber dungeon (a quote from the FBK film “He is not a Dimon”, about Dmitry Medvedev, which was released in 2017, a “house for alarm” appears in it).

Around 14:30, the Internet and cellular communications begin to work with interruptions, the broadcast of the Rain television channel is interrupted, which conducts a report from the apartment near Pushkinskaya Square. Around the same time, police officers begin to dissect the crowd into separate sectors. They throw snowballs at the security forces, the police in response begin to beat with batons everyone who is seen in front of them. People are crowded towards the Izvestia building, almost all the passing through the Tver car is the signal - in support of either protesters or riot police.

A guy with a tricolor and the inscription “Vladivostok” on it climbs to the lantern to the left of the monument. The audience applauds him while the guy poses with the flag in front of the cameras. Soon another young man climbs him - in his hands there are two posters in support of Alexei Navalny.

- I would have dropped these reptiles! - The woman says a man standing next to her. They are clearly not familiar.

- For what? - the man is surprised.

- Why are they? - the woman continues

“Let them be,” her interlocutor answers peacefully and with a smile.

- Yes, I'm not talking about these! - says the woman, pointing to the lantern. - And about those! And waves somewhere to the side. Then the man agrees.

Meanwhile, to another lantern - this time to the right of the monument - a man with a poster against Navalny climbs. The crowd meets him with shouts "Shame!" And obscene abuse. Two men follow the lantern and try to push the picketer; He resists. Screams are heard: "No, leave!" He is thrown with snowballs, pulling down (having broken a lantern), someone tries to beat him, others shout: "Do not touch!" As a result, his legs are dragged towards the police and thrown there.

The crowd chants: "Ak-va-Diso-tech!" (Another quote from the film about Putin's Palace). A guy in black climbs on a broken lantern, he is served a toilet ruff, he twists him above his head, the crowd chants: “Yershik!” Then they give him blue underpants and shout: “Putin,wash my panties !”

On Pushkinskaya, protesters notice Navalny's wife Julia, but she is detained almost immediately. After 15 hours, the police begin to act tougher: everyone is crowded and beat with batons. Snowballs and ice continue to fly from the crowd to the police, then a plastic bottle. In the crowd, someone calls for “men” not to be afraid and fight with the police. The police are actively clearing the area; In the half -frail near the monument to Pushkin, no one remained only along the edges of the square, on lawns, in underground crossings - but the security forces drive people from there.

In the square, calls are heard to go to the Manezhnaya Square, to the Lubyanka, somewhere else, the crowd begins to be divided into parts and diverge: some go towards the Lubyanka, others-to Manezhnaya Square, others go to the boulevards. The guy complains to the girl: “Our versions do not agree! For my mother, I'm at home. And for yours - here. " “I will warn her,” the girl reassures.

A large police reinforcement with dogs arrives on Pushkinskaya Square - people begin to squeeze from the square towards Mayakovskaya. Many police officers have video cameras in their hands.

OMON employees surround the Pushkin Square and break through the crowd. Many of them use batons. On the lawn to the right of the monument, the security forces are lying down the guy and drag the coat in the snow by the gate. What happens to him next is not visible behind their backs. "We moved away quickly!" - the police shout to everyone who is trying to approach and help the guy, - and waving batons. Seeing that the correspondent of Medusa Kristina Safonova was taking off what is happening, one of the employeestwice beats her in the chest with a club.

Danila's head is rewound with bandages, they have blood. “My head is pierced,” he says. And he says that he was in the crowd when the crush began. The riot police grabbed him and began to beat him on the head with batons. The bandages, according to him, were found with a woman-she made him a dressing. Danila is not the only one who received a serious injury on Pushkinskaya. Ignoring the cars, two guys lead across the road of the third. Blood flows across his face. They are looking for an ambulance.

Having kicked people out of the square, riot police do not remove the cordon. On the contrary, there are only more of them. The guy in a bright blue sweatshirt and a dark jacket decides to make a selfie against their background. He poses for a long time, and having finished, turns to the security forces and sends them an air kiss. “I am a blogger, I have a millionth audience. I'm not afraid of what to be afraid of? " He says to the Medusa correspondent. And then it climbs to the entrance group of the metro located in the square.

On the steps of the stairs leading to the transition, several protesters tried to hide from the tough actions of the riot police. But unsuccessfully. Employees in helmets and batons crowded them down. The crush begins, but riot police and requests do not react, continuing to push and beat people until they are hiding behind the metro doors. “How can you beat people on the head with batons! They will become stupid! " - the blogger is indignant, still standing on the entrance group. To this, one of the riot police answers with anger: "You will fall now!"

Evening

On Tverskaya Street, it is crowded, everywhere the police and the Russian Guard, along the street are autzaki. The Dmitrovka and Rozhdestvenka Street were blocked, in the Kamergersky lane the police divided people into two groups: through the heads of the police they wave a friend with lanterns included in the phones. Again screams: "Down with the king!"

And on the passionate police boulevard there were just few (then large groups from Tverskaya pulled up): she tries to block the boulevard, but it cannot, people simply bypass the police, some stay next to them, entering into a skirmish. They carry a poster in the crowd: "The grandchildren of the former" enemies of the people "know who the real enemy of the people."

Someone throws a smoke saber next to a cordon and splashes in the policemen something red. Young people with a white-red-white flag chande "Live Belarus!" And "Lukashenko in Autosak!" People go to the roadway, after which they begin to be detained. Snowballs and firecrackers are thrown into the police, shout "Death to the Chekists!" and “Putin thief!”; Those in response are hard to beat people with batons. In front of the Medusa correspondent, the elderly woman struck and took it into a car zakak.

Among the boulevard going on the boulevard, there are many young people. You can often hear conversations like: “Mom, I'm fine. Do you want me to go home? I will not go. " Cars passing through the boulevard will be alarmed to people - they applaud them in response. The crowd chants: "They are o ***** [Owls]!"

At this time, three riot police chains, several auto -zaks and two buses of the Russian Guard are already waiting for the boulevard on the boulevard. People begin to rush about, trying to understand where to go: some try to go back, but there is also a police.

People who look at the screaming crowd and the police are surprised to look from shops and cafes on the boulevard. A perfectly dressed couple politely interested in the riot police: "What is the best way to leave here?" He answers something like "you better leave the country at all."

Having discovered a riot room in front, most of the people go towards color boulevard and lingers near the circus building. A Black FSB car with a flashing light passes by - the protesters first throw snowballs into it , then begin to swing and kick, knocking out the glass of the rear door. Then riot police come running and beats with batons those who attacked the car. The driver manages to leave.

There are many people on the steps of the circus, they throw Snowballs into the police, shout "This is our city!" And for some reason again-“Aquadiscopete!”. Another riot police bus arrives, everyone is driven off from the steps of the circus. People are surrounded and divided into groups. Journalists are passed through the cordon, the rest - no. Some of the people retreating towards color Boulevard. "I wonder if they will drive us to the Mytishch?" - asks one of the protesters.

By 19:00, the crowd almost scattered. Several dozen people, not yet finally tired of running from the police, decide to reach the "sailor of silence." Here are the last clashes of citizens and security forces - and the last detentions. January 23, a large protest day, ends under the walls of the investigative insulator in which Alexey Navalny sits.

Editing. Initially, the material reported that in the center of Moscow, according to the White counter project, 20 thousand people gathered. This information is incorrect. The White counter did not count the participants in the action, Dmitry Nesterov, who collaborates with the “white meter”, gave such an assessment. The Medusa editors apologize.

Authors: Kristina Safonova , Anastasia Yakreva , Svetlana Reuters and Maxim Solopov

Editor: Valery Igumenov

Photos: Evgeny Feldman for "Medusa"