Users of Russia’s leading social network Vkontakte.ru (VK.com) published half a million posts about Alexey Navalny in the hour following his conviction today on embezzlement charges.
Navalny was mentioned approximately 480,000 times in the hour, with an average 134 posts per second. The social network only registers such a high level of posts on New Year’s or International Women’s Day (March 8).
In Kirov, a city west of the Urals 600 miles from Moscow, a Court sentenced Navalny to five years in a penal colony after finding him guilty of embezzling $500,000.
Navalny rose to fame as an anti-corruption blogger and an opposition leader during the winter 2011-2012 protest movement in Russia.
On Wednesday, Navalny officially registered his candidacy for mayor of Moscow, but this embezzlement conviction – if upheld following a possible appeal – disqualifies him from running for office. Opposition groups as well as an important part of the public opinion believe that the trial is politically motivated.
Sources: RIA Novosti
