Russian police have cracked down on a large protest in the far eastern region of Bashkortostan after an activist was jailed, writes Al Jazeera.

The protest broke out after a court in the town of Baymak sentenced Indigenous rights activist Fail Alsynov to four years in a penal colony on Wednesday. His supporters, estimated by some to number up to 3,000, gathered in protest, which would make it one of the largest demonstrations in Russia since the start of its war against Ukraine.

Alsynov was convicted of inciting ethnic hatred during a speech delivered in April at a protest opposing plans for the development of a gold mine in the region about 1,380km (860 miles) east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains.

The regional governor said the activist had made racist comments about people from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Following the sentencing, Alsynov’s supporters clashed with police, who fired tear gas and detained dozens, local media reports said. The protesters said the verdict was delayed revenge for his role in protests years prior when activists successfully blocked plans to mine for soda on a hill considered sacred by locals.