The weekly anti-Kremlin protests in Russia’s Far East show no sign of ending after nearly two months of demonstrations. On Saturday, some 10,000 people took to the streets. It is the longest-running local protest movement of the Putin era.
While the focus of the protests was the political crisis in the Khabarovsk region, 6,000 kilometers east of Moscow, the demonstrations also expressed support for suspected poisoned opposition leader Navalny, as well as opposition protests in Belarus.
Residents of Khabarovsk have been holding protest rallies every weekend since July 9, when the region’s popular governor, Fugal, was arrested. The Moscow authorities arrested him on suspicion of murder. Fugal himself denies the accusation. His supporters say that his arrest is politically motivated.
The Khabarovsk protests are the longest-running demonstrations outside Moscow expressing discontent with the Kremlin in the 21 years since Russian President Vladimir Putin took power.
One protester on Sunday held a sign with a slogan that accused Putin of “handcuffing Fogar and poisoning Navalny.” Navalny is an anti-corruption campaign organizer. He is currently being treated in Germany. Doctors there say he is the victim of a Russian nerve agent. Moscow, for its part, says there is no evidence to suggest he was poisoned.
Some protesters in Khabarovsk also carried red and white flags carried by Belarusian protesters to show their opposition to Moscow-backed Belarusian leader Lukashenko.
Recent Comments