Protest turns violent as activist jailed in Russia’s Bashkortostan

Russian police have cracked down on a large protest in the far eastern region of Bashkortostan after an activist was jailed.

Russian police have cracked down on a large protest in the far eastern region of Bashkortostan after an activist was jailed.

The protest broke out after a court in the town of Baymak sentenced Indigenous rights activist Fail Alsynov to four years in a penal colony.

His supporters, estimated by some to number up to 3,000, gathered in protest, which would make it one of the largest demonstrations in Russia since the start of its war against Ukraine.

Large protests are rare in Russia due to the risks of arrests. Thousands of people have been detained in the past two years for opposing the war.