A companion of the convicted Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Milov, left Russia for Europe on the eve of the announced illegal actions of the blogger’s supporters. He announced this live on the channel “Navalny. Live ”on April 18th.
According to him, the departure is due to the fact that he does not want to get into a “arrest situation”, while he has “a very important area of work related to international relations.”
“You see that I am here with Leonid (Volkov – Ed.) Not by video communication, but physically next to me – that is. I’m not in Russia, ”he said during the broadcast. Efir Milov held together with the head of the regional headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK, recognized as a foreign agent) Leonid Volkov.
Thus, while Navalny’s associates are organizing illegal actions and urging them to participate, the second key figure from the blogger’s team has left Russia. At the same time, without even hiding that in this way he is trying to avoid responsibility.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in February that Navalny’s supporters, including Volkov and FBK executive director Vladimir Ashurkov, are agents of influence. So, the fact that they are coordinating their actions with representatives of the West is also evidenced by the fact that on February 8, a video conference of 27 EU countries was held in Poland with the participation of Ashurkov and Volkov. According to media reports, among the topics discussed were the visit of the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, to Russia, as well as the expectations of Ashurkov and Volkov regarding EU sanctions against Russia.
Earlier in April, calls for new illegal actions in Russian cities on April 21 began to circulate on the Web. Earlier on Monday, the Russian Interior Ministry urged citizens to refrain from participating in unauthorized actions, information about which is spread on social networks and instant messengers. In crowded places, the risk of contracting coronavirus infection increases, the department noted.
The policemen made provocations by destructive persons. In this regard, they urged citizens not to endanger their health and safety, as well as to warn their relatives, especially minors, from participating in unauthorized actions.
Law enforcement officers “will not allow destabilization of the situation and will take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in the regions,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs stressed.
On February 2, the Simonovsky Court of Moscow granted the Federal Penitentiary Service’s petition and replaced the suspended sentence for Alexei Navalny in the case of fraud against the Yves Rocher company with a real one. The blogger is serving a sentence in a general regime colony. The court took into account the term of house arrest, and the blogger will have to spend about 2.5 years in the colony.