Russians Hack the Buffalo Man??
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EU Mulls Fresh Russia Sanctions After Navalny Protests; Kremlin Summons US Ambassador
BY TYLER DURDEN
WEDNESDAY, JAN 27, 2021 - 2:45
After ongoing and nsurprisingly well-attended pro-Navalny rallies across major Russian cities, which the Kremlin has blamed on the United States and the West for having a 'hidden hand' in organizing, the European Union is considering fresh sanctions targeting Russian officials.
Press reports in Western media are alleging that Russian authorities have arrested over 3,000 Alexei Navalny supporters from the Saturday demonstrations, which the Kremlin had deemed 'unauthorized'. The jailed opposition politician is urging that people take to the streets from his jail cell, where he's serving out a 30 day sentence for probation violation.
A scene from Saturday's pro-Navalny protests, via The Independent.
In some places, particularly Moscow, there were fierce clashes with riot police who were trying to break them up. Over a dozen cities saw rallies for the jailed Kremlin opposition activist, who only a week prior had flown back to Moscow after recovering in Berlin following an alleged nerve agent poisoning last August. Navalny himself along with German investigators blamed Russian intelligence for orchestrating an assassination attempt on orders from Putin.
Reuters reports on Monday:
Lithuania’s foreign minister, arriving in Brussels for a meeting of the bloc’s 27 top diplomats, said "a change is in the air in Russia" that the bloc must support, especially after Navalny’s detention as he returned to Russia from Germany.
The foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, urged: "The EU needs to send a very clear and decisive message that this is not acceptable." And German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas demanded an "immediate" release of all protesters rounded up during the pro-Navalny rallies, some of which have now had criminal cases brought against them.
Previously the Kremlin has vowed retaliation for any Navalny-related sanctions, which it's lately followed through on. Late last year the EU announced sanctions on specific Kremlin intelligence officials said to have been involved in the alleged plot to kill Navalny. In response, Russia imposed travel bans on EU officials from France, Germany and Sweden in particular. France and Germany had led the way in getting the EU punitive measures imposed on Russia.
Meanwhile, also on Monday Russia summoned the US ambassador to Moscow to complain about American 'interference' in Russia's internal affairs. Moscow is livid over the fact that the embassy posted a "demonstration alert" to its website in the day ahead of the Saturday protest. As we detailed, the embassy posted a dozen precise locations and planned-for times of pro-Navalny protests.
(moar)
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/eu-mulls-fresh-russia-sanctions-after-navalny-protests-kremlin-summons-us-ambassador