Extra police are currently rushed to Moscow's Manezh Square and the central streets of the city in order to prevent a protest rally Navalny's supporters are about to hold, as the Russia's biggest opposition leader got suspended prison sentence this morning.
The information about hundreds of police officers, riot squads and police vans concentrating in the city's centre at this particular hour comes from many journalists, photographers and common citizens through social networks.
The police force are mainly situated in Manezh and Teatralnaya Squares near the Kremlin. The first squad cars appeared there in December 29 when it was announced about the verdict to Navalny brothers to be abruptly moved forward from January 15 to December 30.
Earlier Russian opposition activists planned to hold a rally in support of Alexey and Oleg Navalny on January 15, but now they are forced to change the date and to organize the new meeting in a big hurry. Today's unapproved rally is expected to take place today (December 30) in Moscow's Manezh Square at 19:00 (16:00 GMT). The official Facebook event page is here. Previously Facebook has banned the event page for January 15 unapproved meeting, but then the social network refused to do such things in the future.
Alexey Navalny was today given a suspended prison sentence of three-and-a-half years in a high-profile fraud case.. His brother Oleg Navalny was given a three-and-a-half custodial sentence in the same trial. Alexey has called the verdict politically motivated and mean.
Read more: Navalny Gets Suspended Sentence, His Brother Goes in Jail
Author: Julia Alieva