“Maybe someone is in love, someone was protesting, someone is for company” - Peskov about the rally of Navalny’s supporters with flashlights

At a briefing with journalists, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov commented on yesterday's rally by Navalny's supporters with flashlights. A recording of his speech is provided by Mayak radio.

“Yes, some people walked around with flashlights, great! Maybe someone was in love, someone was protesting against something, someone was just for company, not understanding why the lanterns were lit,” said the Kremlin representative. “Why there were not three, but two people there, that’s not a question for me.”

“No one interfered with the movement, no one really intended to do so, so there was no direct violation of the law <...> We traditionally highly appreciate the effectiveness of law enforcement representatives,” he added.

On the evening of February 14, Navalny’s supporters turned on flashlights on their phones in their yards as part of the “Love is Stronger than Fear” campaign. According to OVD-Info estimates , 19 people were detained across the country that day, including ten in connection with the “Love is Stronger than Fear” event. Nine more were detained after a rally against repression in Kazan.