Police raid Kremlin critics

Russian authorities have carried out mass raids on the homes and offices of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s supporters.

‘Putin is very angry’: Alexei Navalny. Picture: AP

Russian authorities have carried out mass raids on the homes and offices of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s supporters, as part of a politically inspired investigation into money-laundering.

Searches took place in 39 towns and cities, four days after the ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, lost a third of its seats in the Moscow city assembly while easily retaining its domin­ant nationwide position.

Mr Navalny had urged his supporters to vote tactically in last weekend’s local and regional elections to try to reduce the chances of Kremlin-backed candidates, a strategy that appears to have had some success in the capital. “Putin is very angry,” he wrote on social media after the raids. “This is a case where the actions of the police are no different from those of burglars.”

Authorities told activists that the searches were related to a money-laundering investigation into Mr Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, an organisation that has published embarrassing investigations into the wrong­doing of corrupt officials.

Kira Yarmysh, Mr Navalny’s spokeswoman, said on Thursday that the scale and nature of the latest raids was unprecedented.

Reuters