Several police officers injured in protests in Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Several police officers were injured Wednesday during protests in Russia's Bashkortostan region after a local activist was sentenced to four years in prison.

The incident took place during an unauthorized public rally in the remote town of Baymak.

The crowd gathered after a local court convicted Indigenous rights activist Fail Alsynov of inciting ethnic hatred.

In the spring of 2023, Alsynov organized a rally against geological exploration on the local Irandyk mountain range near Baymak. During his speech, he said the upcoming works would cause an "influx of migrants" and made racist comments about people from the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Following the incident, the authorities opened a criminal case against Alsynov, and on Wednesday, the court found him guilty and handed him a four-year prison sentence. The news provoked unrest in which law enforcement representatives were assaulted.

Media reports claim the protests were organized from abroad, allegedly with the help of Alsynov's former ally Ruslan Gabbasov, who left Russia after the start of its "special military operation" in Ukraine, received political asylum in Lithuania, and is currently a frequent guest at anti-Russian events organized in Europe.

The Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case following the incident in Baymak. The number of people who took part in the rally is unknown.