Russian MP: Protesters in Russia wanted to implement ‘Belarusian scenario'

“The scriptwriters of the 23 January events urged children to take to the streets, as they wanted victims in order to destabilize the situation according to the ‘Belarusian scenario'. These victims were avoided solely thanks to very courageous, professional and appropriate actions of the law enforcement,” the parliamentarian said before a plenary session of the lower house.

The MP believes that this is not just about unauthorized rallies, but about organized mass riots. “We saw that it was the first time that such rallies drew almost professional militants who attacked the police, used force, they stopped short of killing a man on Pushkin Square who raised a poster against Navalny,” Andrey Isaev emphasized.

The MP is sure that lessons must be learned from what has happened. “It is necessary to flesh out the law on morale building activities in educational institutions that was adopted on the initiative of the president. This should not become a formality. We need to work with young people constantly,” Andrey Isaev concluded.

Unauthorized rallies in support of the detained Alexei Navalny took place in Moscow and other large cities on 23 January. The prosecutor's office and the police warned of responsibility for participating in unauthorized events. TASS cited a source in medical circles suggesting that 42 members of the law enforcement received injuries of varying severity. Some protesters were also injured.