Makhachkala: most protesters distance themselves from Navalny's support

On January 31, about fifteen young people went out to a protest action in Makhachkala. Most of them explained their activeness not by support of Alexei Navalny, but by dissatisfaction with the authorities' policies.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 31, actions of Navalny's supporters were held in many regions of Russia, including cities of the country's south: Astrakhan, Volgograd, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Sochi and Stavropol. According to eyewitnesses, at the venues of unsanctioned actions, not only activists were detained, but also journalists and passers-by.

Makhachkala was not listed in the website of the Navalny's team as a city where the actions had been scheduled, but young people gathered in the central square in groups of 2-3 persons. None of them had posters with them; and they did not chant any slogans.

Khava Magomedova, a resident of Dagestan, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that she had come out to the square to "support all the people who fell victim to unfair treatment" by the state and law enforcers. "I didn't come for Navalny. I don't get into politics at all. But when it comes to fair treatment of my people, the Dagestanis, I can't stay aside. We have a lot of those who had suffered from injustice. Therefore, I want them to know that they are supported, there are those who stand up for their rights," Khava has explained.

Almost none of the young people interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent said that they had come to the square to support Alexei Navalny. They noted that they had come out for the "change of power", "for themselves and their own rights."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 31, 2021 at 07:06 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.