the kremlin dissident alexei navalny
has been back in court today in moscow
this time accused of defaming a world
war ii veteran
he's already been sentenced to more than
two and a half years in prison in a
separate case
a sentence that has sparked outrage and
protests across the country
but the kremlin seems determined to put
a stop to them in recent weeks police
have been targeting opposition activists
across russia
a moscow correspondent steve rosenberg
traveled more than 4
000 miles east to the capital of
vladivostok
to see how critics of the kremlin there
are being put under pressure
what do you find at the end of russia
where the pacific turns to ice
at first russia here feels frozen in
time
no hint of spring but in vladivostok
there are signs that something is
changing
last month thousands here risked arrest
to protest
in support of jailed opposition leader
alexey navalny
there were rallies across russia but
there is no political thought
the kremlin calls the protests illegal
and it's cracking down
had live streamed one of the protests
this show of force was meant to scare me
and my wife
now the authorities are using that video
to scare others
by showing what happens to people who
tell the truth
scientist anton rashid who's working on
new cancer treatments
took part in the vladivostok protests he
too
has been targeted by the police they
broke into my apartments
hold me laying on the floor like some
criminal and it was
real humiliating and
infuriating this isn't just happening
here in the russian
far east in recent days there have been
reports of police raids
and searches across the country a sign
of just how determined the authorities
are
to crush the protest movement
in moscow alexander was back in the dock
accused of defaming a world war ii
veteran
this month he'd already been sentenced
to two and a half years in prison
in a fraud case widely seen as
politically motivated
the police raids on protesters is an
attempt to cut mr navalny's support base
by spreading fear it will send chilling
waves
across everybody else who is in their
early 20s
idealistic wants to war for team navalny
a lot of people will be scared a lot of
parents will insert a lot of pressure on
their kids
to not join the movement there's
something else
the kremlin is doing to try to undermine
public support
for protests it's telling russians
through the state media
that mr navalny is an agent of the west
and some people are believing it
he's carrying out the west's
instructions
we all know it's the west pulling the
julia tells me and as for navalny being
poisoned
he probably poisoned himself
where is this taking russia with blame
the west
the official narrative there's little
chance of a thor in relations
with america and europe russia is facing
the prospect
of growing isolation steve rosenberg bbc
news
vladivostok