There's a nationwide police crackdown underway against Alexey Navalny's campaign offices

Police in different cities across Russia are raiding Alexey Navalny’s campaign offices, seizing leaflets promoting a “voters’ strike” for the March 2018 presidential election. On January 18 in St. Petersburg, officers from the Interior Ministry’s “Center E” anti-extremism unit told all staff and volunteers to vacate the office while they conducted the raid.

On January 28, Navalny plans to hold nationwide protests to promote a voters’ strike, which he announced after Russia’s Federal Election Commission rejected his presidential candidacy application on the grounds that he is still serving out a felony probation sentence in a controversial embezzlement case.

Earlier this month, the Justice Ministry filed a lawsuit demanding the liquidation of “Fifth Season,” the nonprofit organization Navalny’s campaign uses to sign office space lease agreements and pay full-time staff around the country.