В Челябинске толпа дошла до главной площади и здания регионального Заксобрания. С удвоенной силой кричат "Долой коррупцию!" и "Путин вор!". pic.twitter.com/gzbF9dJJ5B
— ௵_Надежда (@nadezdanba) March 26, 2017
The Washington Post reports: A wave of unsanctioned rallies swept across Russia on Sunday to protest corruption in the government of President Vladimir Putin, prompting arrests as riot police moved in to break up crowds.
The protests are driven by opposition leader Alexei Navalny and fueled by the popular response to his recent allegations that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has amassed vineyards, luxury yachts and lavish mansions worth more than $1 billion.
The demonstrations appear to amount to the largest coordinated protests in Russia since the street rallies that broke out in 2011 and 2012 after a parliamentary election that opposition leaders decried as fraudulent. State-run television was silent about Sunday’s protests as of midday, but pictures posted on social media sites like Twitter suggested that sizable rallies were underway across the country.
Dozens of arrests were reported in the far east city of Vladivostok, and more were likely as demonstrations began in Russia’s largest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Authorities preemptively banned a rally that Navalny called for central Moscow. Putin’s spokesman has said that even urging people to take part is illegal. [Continue reading…]
