In Chelyabinsk, two more employees of Navalny’s headquarters became suspects in a criminal case

In Chelyabinsk, the deputy coordinator of Navalny’s headquarters, Alexander Kopyev, and an employee of the headquarters, Anna Kiseleva, became suspects in a criminal case for blocking roads (Part 1 of Article 267 of the Criminal Code). Kiseleva herself reported this to OVD-Info.

On February 17 at about 12 o'clock they came to search them. After the search, the activists were taken away for interrogation and released only around 10 p.m. Kiseleva noted that during the interrogation they were not allowed to contact their relatives or call a lawyer. Because of this, an appointed lawyer came to the interrogation and persuaded the activists to admit guilt and testify.

A case of blocking roads was opened in Chelyabinsk due to a rally in support of politician Alexei Navalny, which took place on January 31. According to Kiseleva, she herself only filmed the procession that day, but did not participate in it, and Alexander Kopyev was even serving his arrest in a special detention center.

Other suspects in this case include Navalny's headquarters chat administrator Maria Makarova and headquarters coordinator Artem Yaumbaev. Both were serving arrest in a special detention center on January 31.

• According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after the 2021 protests, at least 90 criminal cases have already been opened in Russia. OVD-Info is aware of more than 70 criminal cases.
• In connection with the arrest of politician Alexei Navalny, a series of protests took place throughout Russia; mass rallies took place on Saturday, January 23, Sunday, January 31, and February 2 (the day Navalny’s suspended sentence was replaced with a real one). The security forces reacted harshly to the protests: on January 23, more than 4,000 people were detained, on January 31, more than 5,500 , and on February 2 , more than 1,400 people .