Police attempt to re-arrest anti-Putin shaman, arresting four of his supporters instead

Security officers have arrested four individuals at the Yakutsk home of Alexander Gabyshev, the shaman who has begun walking across Russia on two different occasions in hopes of banishing the evil spirit of Vladimir Putin from the Kremlin. Open Russia’s Human Rights Project coordinator Alexey Pryanishnikov told MBK Media that four of Gabyshev’s supporters were arrested during the course of the latest police visit.

Pryanishnikov said all four individuals have been removed from the home while officers identify them. He added, “Gabyshev himself hid inside the house, and police officers attempted to break down the door, but after he warned them that he would call his lawyer, they abandoned that idea.”

Gabyshev was arrested for the first time in September 2019 on his way to Moscow, and officials returned him to Yakutsk. There, criminal extremism charges were brought against Gabyshev, but the shaman was never indicted. In December, Gabyshev began his second march on Moscow, but he was arrested once again and fined for insubordination toward a police officer. In January 2020, the shaman announced a third march on Moscow that is scheduled to begin in March.