The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it will summon the U.S. ambassador for clarifications regarding his country's role in the demonstrations in Russia.
This development follows the Russian police's arrest of several protesters who gathered in Moscow and St. Petersburg to demand the release of opposition activist Alexei Navalny. The police confirmed that the gatherings were prohibited due to the spread of the coronavirus. Additionally, the U.S. State Department took advantage of the arrests carried out by Russian police against some protesters, whose numbers across the country reached about 4,000, stating that “the Russian government seeks to suppress the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.” It added that “the Russian government aims to restrict protest organizers by threatening social media platforms,” and condemned what it termed “the violent treatment of protesters and Russian journalists by the authorities.” Russia has witnessed widespread demonstrations in several cities, called for by prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny, in response to a decision to imprison him for 30 days.
