Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan, located in the Ural Mountains region, erupted in protests in mid-January following the arrest of Fayil Alsynov, a well-known local activist who was sentenced to four years in prison.
In one of the few major protests since the invasion of Ukraine made public dissent almost impossible, thousands of people came to the small town of Baymak to show their support for Alsynov and call for his release.
We speak with Abbas Galyamov, a political scientist from Bashkortostan now in exile, and Moscow Times journalist Leyla Latypova, who specializes in Russia’s ethnic republics, about the factors that catalyzed the protests and whether we can expect more rallies soon.
Russia on the Record is a podcast where Moscow Times journalists, independent experts and ordinary Russians reflect, analyze and explain what’s going on in Russia right now. You can listen to us on the following platforms:
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