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Moscow not ready to heed statements from US on rallies in Russia, Kremlin says

The Kremlin spokesman noted that protests had been held in a number of European countries on Sunday too

MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Moscow will not heed statements from the United States regarding rallies in Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"As for the statements by US representatives on illegal actions that took place in our country, we are not ready to heed the Americans’ statements on that score, and we will not do that," he said.

Peskov noted that protests had been held in a number of European countries on Sunday too. "Therefore, Sunday turned out to be quite hectic for law enforcement officers in many European countries, they had to work hard," he said.

Unauthorized protests took place in a number of Russian cities on Sunday. On January 23, similar protests took place in Moscow and other large cities. The Prosecutor’s Office and the police have repeatedly warned of responsibility for participating in these events.

Commenting on rallies in Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in a Twitter post that the US had condemned "the persistent use of harsh tactics against peaceful protesters and journalists by Russian authorities for a second week straight." He urged Russia to release those detained for defending their rights, including Alexey Navalny.

On the Russian police response

The Russian police provide a tough response to provocations during unlawful rallies, and this response is within the law, however, each case of violence should be considered separately, Peskov stated.

"Each one of these actions should be considered separately, there is no common trend. We can accept only one thing as a common trend: the police act in a tough manner in accordance with the law in response to provocative actions," he told reporters.

He did not provide a response to a question asking the Kremlin’s opinion on the reasons why citizens take to the streets and what their demands are.

When commenting on the actions of the law enforcement, he noted that the protests were unsanctioned. "Naturally, the police take measures against participants of these unlawful actions, and this is why there is such a number of detained persons," Peskov said. "We see a rather large number of hooligans and provocateurs with a more or less aggressive behavior against members of law enforcement, which is unacceptable." He added that it is only natural that the police take the corresponding measures. "Of course, there can be no discussion with detected provocateurs. They must face the brunt of the law," he stressed.

As for expressing public opinion, Peskov noted that the citizens have all the means to express their opinion within the law, while taking part in unsanctioned rallies is unacceptable.

On journalists' work during rallies

Quite a few journalists were detained during Sunday’s unauthorized rallies and, in general, there were no obstacles for them to do their job, Peskov said.

"I cannot say that it [detention of journalists] had a mass character. It was not so," he said, adding that "any generalized views" on that matter are inappropriate.

"Each particular case is important, but what is still more important" is to say that "it is about measures to ensure law and order during an unauthorized event," he said. "Generally speaking, journalists were working absolutely routinely. They were wearing vests and there were no obstacles for them."