Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained in Khimki, near Moscow, called on Russians to protest en masse, not only against his arrest but "for himself and for his future."

Navalny was detained Sunday at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport as soon as he entered Russian territory. He had previously left Russia in September in a state of induced coma after being poisoned while visiting Siberia. At the hospital in Germany, where he was transferred, it was determined that he had been poisoned with the nerve agent "novice". He announced a month ago that he would return to Russia, although he was expected to be detained.

- Do not be afraid, take to the streets. "You are not going out for me, you are going out for yourself and your future," Navalny told the Russians via a video from a mobile phone posted on YouTube.

A Moscow court remanded Navalny in custody until February 15 for violating a suspended sentence.

Russia issued a warrant for him on December 29, for the first hearing in the case for which he was detained is scheduled for January 28 to determine whether the suspended sentence will be changed.

Navalny called his case a "mockery of justice" because "everything was ready for a speedy trial and detention".

"I have seen a lot of ridicule of justice, but the 'old man in the bunker' is so scared that he was apparently torn to pieces and thrown out of the Russian Penal Code," Navalny said, alluding to President Vladimir Putin.

About 100 people, mostly journalists, gathered in front of the Khimki police station, and police detained 12 protesters. More than 30 supporters of the opposition leader were detained after police cracked down on protests in St. Petersburg and one person was detained in Arkhangelsk on the Russian Arctic.

Navalny's closest aides have announced they will stage mass protests across Russia on Saturday.

Navalny faces two suspended sentences of up to five years in prison each for the Kirovlesa case, for which he is accused of embezzling more than 16 million rubles (about 180.000 euros), and Yves Rocher for embezzling more than 30 million rubles.

Lavrov: The case is artificially oversized

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the incident with Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had "artificially" taken on a foreign policy dimension.

"First and foremost, we have to do our job, and our job is to implement Russia's foreign policy," Lavrov said, noting that Navalny's detention was a matter for the police.

Lavrov also recalled Navalny's claims that he had been deported from Russia, but added that the Kremlin had approved his transfer to Germany for treatment at the request of his wife and the government in Berlin.

The Russian Foreign Minister also reminded that the West "under various pretexts still refuses to hand over the results of Navalny's tests to Moscow", and that during the examinations of the opposition leader in Omsk, where he was taken care of for the first time after he fell ill, traces of poisoning were found.

Western Leaders Unique: Release Him!

A number of European leaders and organizations, as well as US officials, have called on Russia to release opposition leader Alexei Navalny immediately.

- I condemn the detention of Alexei Navalny by the Russian authorities, after his return to Russia. "Russian authorities must release him immediately and ensure his safety," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

She noted that "the detention of political opponents is contrary to Russia's international obligations" and stressed that "the EU expects a thorough and independent investigation into the attack on the life of Alexei Navalny".

The US State Department has demanded "immediate unconditional release".

- We see with great concern that the arrest is the latest in a series of attempts to silence Navalny and other opposition and independent activists, critics of the Russian government. Confident political leaders are not afraid of competing votes, nor do they use violence against or illegally arrest opponents. "The Russian people, like everyone else, deserve a government that supports the free flow of ideas, transparent and accountable governance, an independent judiciary and respect for fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and assembly without fear of retaliation," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

- It is shocking that the Russian authorities have detained Mr. Navalny and he must be released immediately. Instead of prosecuting Navalny, Moscow should fulfill its obligation under international law to investigate and explain the use of chemical weapons on Russian territory. said a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe notes that Navalny, after surviving the assassination, now faces up to 13 years in prison.

- Political dissidents of any OSCE member government must have the right to express their views. We call on the authorities to honor their commitments under the OSCE and the European Convention on Human Rights and to stop politically motivated prosecutions. "Navalny's political agenda should be decided by voters, not prosecutors," an OSCE official said.

Polish Prime Minister Matusz Morawiecki called Navalny's detention "another attempt to intimidate Russia's democratic opposition" and added that a swift and unequivocal EU response was needed.

The Baltic states want the EU to punish Moscow

EU Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia urge European Union foreign ministers to discuss imposing new sanctions on Russia on Monday due to the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

- Our goal is to have a concrete discussion on the sanctions that the EU can impose on Navalny's detention. "It is clear that Moscow continues to attack the opposition leader and the EU must be prepared to react firmly," Landsbergis said.

The former Soviet republics immediately demanded that Navalny be released immediately, calling his detention "completely unacceptable."