Russian Officials Announce Release of All Detainees from Saturday's Protests

Russian officials state that all protesters detained during 'unauthorized gatherings' on Saturday across various parts of the country have been released. Meanwhile, civil society organizations in Russia report new arrests on Sunday in Moscow. On Saturday, October 7, thousands of opponents of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, protested in several cities coinciding with his birthday, and reports indicate that over 130 individuals were detained during these gatherings. On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that 136 individuals were detained during '26 illegal gatherings' across the country, adding that all of these individuals were released on Sunday. According to this announcement, 71 administrative offense charges were filed against the protesters, and 60 of them must appear in court. However, a political detention monitoring group in Russia claims to have documented the arrest of at least 271 individuals during Saturday's protests. The organization 'OVD-Info', based in Moscow and documenting political arrests since 2011, added that 62 individuals were detained in St. Petersburg alone on Saturday. The protests were organized at the invitation of Alexei Navalny, the staunchest opponent of Vladimir Putin, and according to 'OVD-Info', several campaign officials of Mr. Navalny and some activists demanding his candidacy in the 2018 presidential elections were among those detained. This NGO also reports that dozens of Mr. Navalny's supporters were arrested following a gathering held on Sunday in central Moscow. Currently, Alexei Navalny is considered the largest and most prominent opposition leader against Putin in the country. He is currently serving a 20-day prison sentence in Moscow and hopes to compete against Vladimir Putin in the elections next spring, although the Central Election Commission of Russia has stated that he is not eligible to run due to a suspended prison sentence issued against him. However, the opposition leader believes that the sentence was politically motivated. Even if Mr. Navalny were to have the opportunity to compete with Putin, existing polls cited by Reuters indicate that the current president could 'easily' defeat his potential rival. In recent years, Mr. Putin has benefited from significant popularity, especially in small Russian cities, relying on a nationalistic policy domestically and a hardline foreign policy. Although no official announcement has been made, Mr. Putin is expected to run for the presidency again. If he wins again, it will be his fourth term in the Kremlin.