TIGHT SECURITY THROWN AROUND MOSCOW AIRPORT FOR NAVALNY ARRIVAL

Leading Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who blames the Kremlin for poisoning him in a failed assassination attempt last year, plans to return to Moscow later Sunday (January 17, 2021) after spending five months recovering in Germany.

He said he is scheduled to take a flight with Russian airline Pobeda from Berlin, and is scheduled to land at the Russian capital's Vnukovo airport at 7:20 pm (1620 GMT or 12:20 a.m., January 18, 2021, in Manila), Ulf Mauder reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Russian authorities have signaled they plan to arrest Navalny, 44, immediately upon return to his home country, accusing him of breaking the terms of a suspended sentence and probation. Security was tightened at Vnukovo airport in the hours before his arrival. Images posted on social media showed special forces and prisoner transport vehicles moving into position at the airport.

Navalny has called on his supporters to meet him there, despite the Moscow public prosecutor's office warning against unauthorized rallies on the premises and the threat of consequences for those who go ahead and do so anyway.

On Sunday, some of his supporters reported they had been taken into "preventive" custody ahead of Navalny's arrival. In St Petersburg, the head of Navalny's staff there, Irina Fatyanova, said she and two other activists were taken off a train to Moscow and detained by police for three hours. The authorities provided no reason for their actions.

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