The Kremlin said Tuesday it wouldn't take into account calls by some Western countries to impose additional sanctions on Russia over the detention of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, saying his case was purely a domestic matter.
Meanwhile, dissident Alexei Navalny is asking Russians to protest leader Vladmir Putin.
"Take to the streets, not for me, but for yourselves and for your future," Navalny said in a video filmed outside a Moscow police station before 200 supporters.
The 44-year-old politician-turned-dissident was remanded in police custody for 30 days Monday after breaching the terms of his suspended jail sentence, according to Russia authorities.
Navalny returned to Russia on Sunday after spending nearly six months in Germany recovering from poisoning.
The nerve agent allegedly administered was originally developed by Soviet scientists during the Cold War but has allegedly recently been used by Putin to silence enemies in Russia and abroad.
The Kremlin warned foreign governments against involving themselves in the case.
"Putin feels he has to show he is the main animal in the herd," exiled Russian billionaire Mikhail Khordokovsky told Reuters in an interview over the weekend. "[Otherwise] people will believe that he is no longer the top dog."
On Monday, more than 70 Navalny supporters were arrested across Russia as authorities clamped down on any signs of protest despite international condemnation.
"Rather than persecuting Navalny, Russia should explain how a chemical weapon came to be used on Russian soil," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement.
His detention is "an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard," said incoming US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
People's perception of Putin as a strong leader has been placed in doubt, according to Khodorkovsky, as people like Navalny challenge his leadership. The dissident now faces up to 10 years in prison as a consequence.
Khodorkovsky speaks from experience. In 2003, the energy magnate was arrested for tax evasion and spent a decade in jail before fleeing to London.
"My situation was absolutely analogous [to Navalny]," he said. "Either you surrender or you go back to fight."
