Will protests against President Putin gain momentum in Russia?
Tens of thousands hold biggest protests in years to demand the release of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny.
People in Russia have defied police warnings and freezing temperatures to hold some of the biggest protests yet against President Vladimir Putin.
Tens of thousands rallied in nearly 70 cities to demand the release of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who was arrested as he returned from Germany where he had treatment for poisoning by a nerve agent.
Security forces detained more than 3,000 demonstrators, triggering condemnation from countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Will the protests gain momentum and pose a real challenge to Putin’s rule?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Sergey Markov – Director, Institute for Political Studies and former member of the Russian parliament
Domitilla Sagromoso – Lecturer in security and development at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London
Maria Lipman – Senior associate, Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University