Protests in Russia: Baltic states call on new EU sanctions over detentions

REUTERS

The Baltic states have called on the European Union to slap new sanctions against Russian officials responsible for suppressing protests in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu posted a joint statement on Twitter on January 24.

"We strongly condemn the detention of peaceful protesters in Russia. They must be released immediately. All of us in the EU must be decisive in imposing restrictive measures against Russian officials responsible for arrests," the statement said.

Read alsoNavalny arrested for 30 days, urges Russians to take to streets (Video)

Protests in Russia

• On January 23, rallies were held in Russia in support of the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, who was arrested a few days earlier, upon return to Russia from Germany.
• Russian law enforcement agencies violently handled detentions during the mass protests.
• During the rallies, 3,296 protesters were detained. This is a record high number of detainees in Russia's modern history.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned the violence against participants in the rallies in support of Navalny in Russia.