From the editor
Russia’s coronavirus numbers have been suspiciously low lately. Daily new cases reported officially have declined steadily from 29,499 reported on December 24 to 13,433 today. This is unlikely to reflect the reality, since restrictions have generally been eased across the country since the beginning of the year and Moscow’s Domodedovo airport was crammed with people recently on a day when heavy snow caused flight delays. The numbers are probably required by the Kremlin to reassure people that things are improving and that the Sputnik vaccine is working. Vladimir Putin has also said that a food voucher system for the poor will probably not be needed since the worst of the pandemic is over.
Despite many announcements about the Sputnik vaccine rollout, mass vaccinations outside Moscow are not in evidence. In Yekaterinburg a vaccination clinic opened at a shopping centre and anyone in the city was allowed to show up without an appointment. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asked this week why Russia is making deals to distribute Sputnik abroad while “not sufficiently progressing in vaccinating their own people.” Putin himself is still claiming that he has not been vaccinated, without giving a plausible reason. His spokesman Dmitri Peskov commented that he isn’t aware of any vaccine shortages in the regions.
People queue for a Covid vaccination at a shopping centre in Yekaterinburg
Russia has made much of its shipments of Sputnik to countries ranging from Venezuela to Iran to the Palestinian territories, although only a few thousands doses of the vaccine have been sent to each country. There is also ominous talk of a “Sputnik Light” being developed that would only require one dose. Officials have admitted that it might not be as effective as the original Sputnik V, but more of it will be available to foreign buyers. It can only be hoped that Western manufacturers will step up provision of more reliable vaccines to poorer countries so that they will not have to entrust the health of their populations to a Kremlin product.
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ECHR orders release of Navalny
The European Court of Human Rights has instructed Russia to release Alexei Navalny, saying, “On 16 February 2021 the Court decided to indicate to the Government of Russia, under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, to release the applicant. This measure shall apply with immediate effect. The Court had regard to the nature and extent of risk to the applicant’s life, demonstrated prima facie for the purposes of applying the interim measure, and seen in the light of the overall circumstances of the applicant’s current detention.”
Putin’s spokesman Dmitri Peskov rejected the call for Navalny’s release, commenting, “The decision is unjustified, it’s a very serious attempt at interfering in Russia’s domestic justice system, which, from our point of view, is unacceptable.” Navalny is due to appear in court tomorrow for two hearings: one an appeal against his sentence of two years and eight months in prison for violating probation in the Yves Rocher case, and the other the culmination of his trial for allegedly slandering a 94-year-old World War II veteran. The prosecutor in both cases, Yekaterina Frolova, has asked for Navalny to be fined 950,000 roubles ($12,800) if he is convicted of slander. In court she compared him to General Andrei Vlasov, who fought for the Nazis. TV propagandist Vladimir Soloviev has also said that Navalny is worse than Adolf Hitler because the Nazi leader did his military service, and was “brave”.
Protesters spread love on Valentine’s Day
People all over Russia participated in the “Love is Stronger than Fear” protests organised by Navalny’s team at 8 pm on Valentine’s Day, during which they stood outside with flashlights and lit candles in the shape of hearts. Some danced to the song “Aqua Disco” that became popular on YouTube after Navalny published his video about Putin’s palace. Most of the individual gatherings were very small, but they took place in many locations, and slightly larger groups came out in the centre of Moscow and St. Petersburg. During the day women in Russia’s two largest cities also formed solidarity chains to call for the release of political prisoners and commemorate victims of repressions such as journalist Irina Slavina, who burned herself to death last year.
Open Russia activist gets suspended sentence
A court in Rostov-on-Don has given 41-year-old Open Russia activist Anastasia Shevchenko a four-year suspended sentence for her participation in the opposition organisation, which means that she can finally come out of house arrest after two years, during which her eldest daughter died and investigators installed a camera in her bedroom. Shevchenko has another young daughter and a son. A crowd of supporters cheered her after the verdict, including some people who had come from other cities, such as Yulia Galyamina, who was given a suspended sentence by a Moscow court for participating in protests.
Meanwhile the head of Russia’s Alliance of Doctors, Dr. Anastasia Vasilieva, has won a battle to have her house arrest transferred to her own flat with her two young children. Vasilieva is one of the Moscow opposition activists facing trial in the “coronavirus case” and had been ordered to go into house arrest at the home of her ex-husband, where she was officially registered. After her daughter became ill and needed medical attention Vasilieva violated house arrest to help her, and a judge allowed her to stay in her home.
Novosibirsk woman jailed for protesting
A court in Novosibirsk has changed a decision to send Yana Drobnokhod into house arrest ahead of trial for participating in multiple protests, and instead is sending her to jail. After an appeal against her house arrest on Feb. 15 Drobnokhod held a solo picket in support of arrested former governor of Khabarovsk Krai Sergei Furgal and was detained. The following day the court ordered her to be jailed. Drobnokhod has three children.
Crimean Tatars arrested
In the latest round-up of Crimean Tatars, who have faced severe repressions since Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, six men have been jailed ahead of trial for allegedly belonging to the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir sect. Five appeared in court in Simferopol – Ernest Ibragimov, Timur Yalkabov, Lenur Seydametov, Azamat Eyuopov and Oleg Fedorov, and one – Yashar Shikhametov – in Sevastopol. Searches of their homes started at 4 am on the day they were arrested. Dozens of Crimean Tatars have been given lengthy prison sentences since the annexation as part of Russia’s campaign to quash any potential resistance.