One of the largest rallies in Russian Federation since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine is currently taking place in Bashkortostan. It is being dispersed by special forces.
Thousands of people gathered outside the courthouse to support local activist Fail Alsynov, who was charged with "inciting hatred". Today the court sentenced him to 4 years in a general regime colony.
In October 2022, Fail Alsynov wrote an appeal calling on Bashkirs not to participate in the war in Ukraine.
The head of Bashkiria Radiy Khabirov wrote a denunciation on the activist. He also demanded to check the activist for "discrediting the army" and "public calls to extremism."
This morning in Bashkiria's Baymak, the internet was cut off and all entrances to the courthouse where the activist's sentence was announced were blocked. Despite this, residents abandoned their cars and walked to the court.
The law enforcers started beating and detaining the gathered people, as well as putting them face down in the snow. One of the protesters was handed a summons. The riot police used tear gas, but the activists took away their batons and threw pieces of ice at them.
- Fail Alsynov is one of Bashkortostan's best-known public figures. He participated in many protest actions in the republic. He also headed the national organization Bashkort, which advocated the sovereignty of Bashkortostan. Alsynov actively participated in protests against gold mining in the region in 2023.