Vladimir Putin's regime has come under fire as protests broke out over the trial of an anti-war opposition leader.
Riot police fired tear gas and hit protesters with batons in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan earlier today after activist Fail Alsynov was sentenced to four years in a penal colony.
At a trial that was closed to the Russian media, a court found him guilty of inciting ethnic hatred, a charge he has denied.
Videos published on social media showed people shouting "Gas!" and moving away. One clip showed a line of police lashing out with batons at the crowd.
Videos published on social media showed the clashes
Reuters
In another, a woman remonstrated with police to stop beating a person lying on the ground.
Alsynov was accused of insulting migrant workers in a speech he made in April 2023 at a protest over plans to mine for gold in Bashkortostan, which is located in Russia's southern Ural mountains near the border between Europe and Asia.
His supporters said the case against him was delayed revenge for his role in protests several years earlier in which activists successfully blocked plans to mine on a hill that local people consider a sacred place.
People in the crowd shouted "Shame!" and "We won't give up Fail", as video footage showed protesters pelting the police with snowballs that smashed harmlessly on their riot shields.
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Crowds gathered outside the courtroom
Reuters/RusNews
Independent Russian-language news outlets said police made arrests, but the number of people detained was not clear.
Large protests in Russia are extremely rare because of the risk of arrest over any gatherings which the authorities deem unauthorised.
Thousands of people have been detained in the past two years for opposing the war in Ukraine.
From the videos, it appeared that up to several thousand people had rallied in support of Alsynov, a large turnout in the small settlement of Baymak, 1,380 km (860 miles) east of Moscow, where the trial took place.
The crowd in support of Alsynov
Reuters/RusNews
Alsynov told online media outlet RusNews after the verdict: "Huge thanks to everyone who came to support me. I will never forget this.
"I don't admit my guilt. I always fought for justice, for my people, for my republic."
Bashkortostan, an oil-producing region of 4.1 million people, is one of more than 80 entities that make up the Russian Federation.
