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Russian Police Raid Opposition Offices in Post-Election Show of Force

Charles Maynes

   MOSCOW - Russian authorities launched a wave of police raids early
   Thursday targeting supporters of opposition leader Alexey Navalny in
   dozens of cities across Russia.

   While police formally linked the raids to an ongoing investigation into
   money laundering by Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation -- known by
   its Russian acronym FBK, supporters say the moves were aimed at
   paralyzing the organization's regional infrastructure.

   The timing of the raids also seemed highly political -- coming after a
   Navalny-backed "smart voting" strategy, a tactic that coordinated voter
   anger around candidates who had managed to clear registration barriers
   and was credited with significant losses for pro-Kremlin candidates in
   Moscow's recent city council elections.

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