Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department, Washington, DC, on January 27, 2021. Photo: Carlos Barria/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the weekend protests and arrests in Russia are about "the frustration that the Russian people have with corruption, with autocracy," in an interview that aired Monday on NBC.
What he's saying: “We are deeply disturbed by this violent crackdown against people exercising their rights to protest peacefully against their government, rights that are guaranteed to them in the Russian constitution."
Driving the news: More than 5,000 people were arrested at protests throughout Russia over the weekend. Among those arrested was opposition leader Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya. The unrest was triggered by Navalny's arrest on Jan. 17 as he returned to Russia from treatment in a German hospital for poisoning.
The big picture: Blinken added that the State Department is reviewing a number of recent actions by the Russian government, including:
- The apparent use of a chemical weapon against Navalny
- Interference in U.S. elections
- The use of cyber-tools in the so-called SolarWinds attack
- The reported bounties on American troops in Afghanistan
The bottom line: "Depending on the findings of those reviews, we will take steps to stand up for our interests and stand against Russian aggressive actions… The president could not have been clearer in his conversation with President Putin,” Blinken said.