Protesters gathered in Russia’s far east after a well-liked governor was arrested, with the mass demonstrations morphing into a broader reprisal against President Vladimir Putin’s government.
When tens of thousands took to the streets of Khabarovsk on Saturday, it marked the eighth day of demonstrations since the arrest of Khabarovsk Krai Gov. Sergei Furgal, who was arrested earlier this month for his alleged involvement in the death of two businessmen more than a decade ago.
Protesters faced 90-degree heat as they turned out to express their displeasure with what they see as a politically motivated arrest, according to the Wall Street Journal. Furgal is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and bested a Putin-backed candidate in the 2018 gubernatorial race, a win that supporters contend led to his arrest. Despite the protests being about Furgal, the overall sentiment has morphed into a more general discontent with the Kremlin.
“Of course, we are very worried about the fate of [Furgal], we really like him,” said protest attendee Maria Sushkova. She said that standing up for the popular governor “has become for the most part an occasion for a surge of discontent among citizens.”
“Certain feelings were present for a long time, but … an improper action on the part of the federal authorities led to the release of boiling dissatisfaction,” Sushkova added.
There have been numerous arrests and raids by the Russian government since an early July referendum passed that included an amendment altering the Russian Constitution and allowing Putin to stay in power until 2036. In addition to that major change, the referendum also included guarantees for a minimum wage and pension adjustments, provisions that experts say likely led to its passage by 62% of Russian voters.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pushed back on accusations that Furgal’s arrest was politically motivated.
“The investigation claims that they have irrefutable evidence,” Peskov said Friday. “Therefore, there is no [political] policy here. There is simply a very serious accusation. Whether this evidence will be supported by the court, we do not know yet.”
Peskov also expressed alarm at the demonstrations taking place during the coronavirus pandemic. Russia has, officially, had more than 764,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 12,200 deaths.
