STORY: In a rare act of public defiance, hundreds of supporters of a jailed rights activist staged a protest on Friday (January 19) in Ufa, the capital of Russia's Bashkortostan republic.Police detained at least seven people, a Russian news outlet reported from the scene.Russian-language SOTA Vision released these pictures of police warning people they would be arrested for the unauthorized gathering.Protests began in the southern region this week, in support of minority rights activist Fail Alsynov, who was sentenced on Wednesday (January 17) to four years in a penal colony on charges of stirring ethnic hatred, which he denied.Considered a hero among the area's ethnic Bashkir population, Alsynov has spoken out against their recruitment to fight for Russia in Ukraine, saying "this is not our war."Bashkirian journalist Ruslan Valiev:"(The Bashkirs) said, just leave us alone. Historically, we are nomads. This is our land. We've ceased to be nomads, but please let us mind our own business. Leave us alone and stop lecturing us and imposing your ideas. This explains why this protest emerged in the first place, as I see it."Public protests in Russia are scarce given the risk of arrest, especially since the start of the war. The timing is more sensitive given President Vladimir Putin is standing for a new six-year term in March.Analysts say there is pressure on regional leader Radiy Khabirov to keep the situation under tight control to prevent embarrassment to the Kremlin during an election campaign.Valiev believes the police action taken so far shows authorities are concerned."I think that the unrest will continue in one form or another. Be it something active - in the streets, or more quietly - in the kitchens or backyards. Something will keep happening. This issue can not just be simply swept under the carpet."A Kremlin spokesperson played down the protests on Friday (January 19) as specific and falling within the competence of the republic's regional authorities.