Media: Lyubov Sobol flew away from Russia | News from Germany about Russia

Opposition politician, associate of Alexei Navalny, Lyubov Sobol, flew to Turkey, despite the court’s ban on leaving Moscow and the Moscow region, REN-TV reported on Sunday, August 8, citing sources. Later, the same information was disseminated by several more Russian media outlets.

According to the channel’s interlocutor, Lyubov Sobol flew to Istanbul on a flight from Vnukovo on the evening of August 7. In Turkey, she must make a change, the final destination of her trip is not yet known, according to the report.

Sobol’s verdict on the “sanitary case”

On August 3, Moscow’s Preobrazhensky Court found Lyubov Sobol guilty of inciting violation of sanitary and epidemiological rules within the framework of the so-called “sanitary case”. This is how the court interpreted the calls of Sobol and other associates of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny to go to a rally in support of him on January 23.

As a result, the politician was sentenced to 1.5 years of restriction of freedom. During this period, Sobol is prohibited from leaving home from 10 pm to 6 am, from attending public events, and also from traveling outside Moscow and the Moscow region. In addition, she was obliged to appear for an inspection three times a month.

“Housing” Lyubov Sobol

Earlier, the court sentenced Lyubov Sobol on the so-called “apartment case” (on the penetration into the home of a possible FSB officer Konstantin Kudryavtsev, whom the politician considers the poisoner of Navalny) to a year of probation, with a deduction of 10% of the salary.

At the time of publication of the DW material, Lyubov Sobol herself did not comment on media reports about her possible departure from Russia. Meanwhile, on August 8, the politician’s YouTube channel published another issue of her author’s program “What happened?”, One of which was the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

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Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
For Navalny – in more than 110 cities
All over Russia, unauthorized rallies took place in support of the politician Alexei Navalny, who faces a real prison term. More than 110 cities of the country have joined the protests, the OVD-Info portal calculated. DW has compiled the key shots and the most important facts about the January 23 rallies.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
Record detentions
In many cities, protesters were violently dispersed by the police. According to OVD-Info, more than 3,000 people were detained in different regions. This is the highest figure in nine years of calculations by this human rights portal. A significant proportion of the arrests took place in Moscow – over 1200. About 500 people were detained in St. Petersburg.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
More than ten criminal cases
As a result of the rallies, at least 11 criminal cases have already been opened against their participants, OVD-Info reports. In particular, in three cases, cases were opened on the use of violence against police officers.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
Tens of thousands on the streets of Moscow
The rally in Moscow was the largest uncoordinated rally in the Russian capital since 2013. The number of participants varies. “White counter” counted 15 thousand people at the peak and more than 20 thousand for the entire time of the action, Reuters quoted the figure at 40 thousand, Navalny’s headquarters – 50 thousand people. The official estimate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is 4,000 protesters in Pushkin Square.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
On Nevsky Prospect
The protest action in St. Petersburg turned out to be numerous as well. According to local media estimates, 10-20 thousand people took to the streets. The police drove the protesters out of Senate Square, and they went to Nevsky Prospekt. In the late afternoon, harsh detentions began. A video showing how a riot policeman kicked a woman in the stomach, who turned to him with a question, caused a great resonance in social networks.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
Round dance in Khabarovsk – for Navalny and Furgal
Residents of Khabarovsk were among the first to protest into the street. Here, the rally in support of Navalny was combined with traditional rallies for the ex-governor of Furgal. At its peak, the rally gathered at least 1,500 people. The protesters danced in a round dance on Lenin Square, cordoned off by riot police, and then went on a march through the city. As a result, the police detained 58 people.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
In other regions of the Russian Federation, they also demanded “Changes”
Among other cities, the most massive rallies were in Yekaterinburg (pictured) and Nizhny Novgorod, which brought together about 10 thousand participants. The coldest – literally – was the rally in Yakutsk. There, people came out to the action, despite the frost at -48 degrees. In Irkutsk, local residents surrounded the city administration, singing Viktor Tsoi’s song “Change”.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
Thousands of protesters at the Russian Embassy in Berlin
Actions in support of Navalny took place not only in Russia. In Berlin, according to DW estimates, at least 3,000 people took to the streets. This is one of the most massive Russian-language political events in the modern history of the city. The protesters marched from the department of the Federal Chancellor to the building of the Russian embassy.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
Worldwide
Rallies for the arrested Russian politician were also held in dozens of cities around the world. Vilnius, Prague (pictured), Amsterdam, Rome, London, Paris, Vienna, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, New York and many other cities have joined the protest against the repression against Alexei Navalny.

Actions on January 23 in support of Navalny in photographs
Dud, Noize MC, Cross …
Celebrities also took part in the protest. The popular video blogger Yuri Dud appeared at the rally in Vladivostok. In Moscow, the action was supported by rappers Noize MC and Vlady from the Casta group (pictured), YouTube blogger Nikolai Sobolev, actress Alexandra Bortich, and writer Dmitry Glukhovsky. Stand-up comedian Danila Poperechny and the organizer of rap battles “Restorator” were spotted at the procession in St. Petersburg.
Author: Ilya Koval