Putin's big problem. Thousands of demonstrations two months before the elections

Massive protests began in Bashkortostan last Tuesday in the town of Baymak, where local activist Phil Alsinov was being tried. The day after the demonstration broke out, the opposition figure was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of inciting racial hatred. As independent media reported, up to 10,000 people could have demonstrated in front of the courthouse that day. the people. Clashes took place with the police, and dozens of demonstrators were arrested.

The demonstration took place on Friday, despite the warnings of Governor Radi Khabirov, who threatened to take decisive measures by law enforcement agencies against – as he put it – “extremists and traitors,” that is, participants in the protest.

Ruslan Jabasov, Chairman of the Committee of the Bashkir National Movement Abroad, who has lived in exile for several years, called on the demonstrators to continue protesting in the following days and expand the scope of their demonstrations. – Disobedience begins throughout the Republic of Bashkortostan! – He resumed.

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Phil Alsenov, an environmental activist popular in Bashkortostan, was subject to criminal proceedings in the spring of 2023 when he participated in protests against gold mining plans near the town of Ishmurzino. Al-Sinov was accused of inciting hatred based on nationality. Opposition media reported that the activist was arrested and then sentenced at the initiative of the Bashkortostan authorities because he opposed the interests of mining companies that could be linked to the administration of the region.

The Republic of Bashkiria, with a population of more than 4 million people, and its capital, Ufa, is located in the Ural Mountains, on the border of Europe and Asia. According to data for 2021, about 56 percent of the population there are ethnic groups of Turkish origin – Bashkirs and Tatars, and only 37.5 percent are Russians.

Over the past two years, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, independent observers have raised concerns that representatives of Russia's national minorities, including the Bashkirs, are often drafted into the army as part of mobilization and then sent to the front.

As dw.com points out, despite the propaganda, Alsenov remains for a large part of the citizens of Bashkortostan a symbol of the resistance movement, which the authorities treated with particular cruelty. The portal quoted Russian political scientist Ekaterina Shulman, saying that the militia could have used the tactic of leaving the demonstrators in the cold.. – This helps to avoid the horrific image of police officers beating people – says the expert in an interview with dw.com.

But this time the authorities decided to use “sound bombs and stunning battles.” As Shulman asserts, this tactic was risky two months before the presidential elections in Russia, which he attributes to “administrative dysfunction.”Different parts of the government apparatus do not work cohesively with each other

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Russia on March 17.