Russian President spokesman Vladimir Putin said the U.S. embassy statements about the nationwide protests, in which more than 3,500 people were reportedly arrested, interfered with the country’s internal affairs and encouraged Russians to break the law.

Dmitry Peskov criticized Sunday, a day after protests across the country calling for the release of the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption activist who is Putin’s best-known critic.

Police clash with protesters during a protest against the detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Russian police are arresting protesters demanding the release of leading Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the east of the country, and larger unauthorized rallies are expected in Moscow and other major cities later on Saturday. (AP Photo / Dmitri Lovetsky)

During the protests, embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Ross said on Twitter: “The US supports the right of all people to peaceful protest and freedom of expression. Actions by the Russian authorities suppress these rights.” The embassy also tweeted a statement from the State Department calling for Navalny to be released.

Thousands arrested during Russian protests, including the wife of opposition leader NAVALNY

Peskov said the statements “indirectly represent absolute interference in our internal affairs” and are “direct support for violation of the law of the Russian Federation, support for unauthorized acts”.

Police officers arrest a man during a protest against the detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Russian police arrested hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday who took to the streets in temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees C (minus-58 F) calling for the release of Alexei Navalny, the country’s biggest opposition figure. (AP Photo / Pavel Golovkin)

The protests drew thousands of people to major cities in Russia, including an estimated 15,000 in Moscow, and demonstrations took place in numerous other cities. However, Peskov dismissed the turnout as insignificant.

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“Now many will say that many people have come out for the illegal actions. No, few people have come out; many people are voting for Putin,” he said.

Police officers clash with people during a protest against the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Russian police arrested hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday who took to the streets in temperatures down to minus 50 ° C (minus-58 F) calling for the release of Alexei Navalny, the country’s biggest opposition figure. (AP Photo / Pavel Golovkin)

44-year-old Navalny, Putin’s most prominent and stubborn enemy, was arrested on January 17 when he was returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recovering from severe nerve agent poisoning, which he accuses the Kremlin and which Russian authorities deny.

Authorities said his five-month stay in Germany violated the provisions of a suspended sentence imposed in a 2014 fraud and money laundering conviction. He says this is fraudulent and politically motivated.

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He is due to appear in court on February 2 to hear whether the suspended sentence will be converted to 3 1/2 years in prison.