Vladimir Putin faced a rare show of dissent from his own people, as police suppressed a demonstration by Russians calling for his impeachment.
The Russian dictator finds himself increasingly cornered by his war in Ukraine, which not only poses a direct threat to his life, but also frustrates the oligarchic class and ordinary Russians.
Russia’s pro-Kremlin Communist Party held a rally in the capital, Moscow, over the weekend, during which demonstrators chanted against United Russia and “the Tsar,” a reference to Putin.
According to the party, around 60 protesters were arrested, with messages circulating on Telegram channels showing police entering crowds and grabbing people amid chaotic scenes.
The party said the arrests took place as the rally was drawing to a close.
Some 2,000 people reportedly joined the march, including members of the opposition Yabloko party, which opposes Putin, and the United Russia party which supports him. Yabloko is the only party officially opposed to the war in Ukraine.
Public protests against Putin are extremely rare and often met with immediate repression by police.
Among the slogans, the demonstrators reportedly demanded “Freedom for political prisoners”, “Freedom for Dmitri Morozov”, “For fair elections” and “Down with the tsar”, according to the Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti.
Activist Dmitry Morozov was arrested last week following the Russian State Duma elections.
According to Pravda, law enforcement officers burst into the crowd and began making arrests after chants against Putin began to ring out.
The newspaper said witnesses reported that 26 of those arrested belonged to the Communist Party, and another 30 to Yabloko.
The Communist Party said it was working to secure the release of those arrested, the Associated Press reported. He said most of those arrested were young people.
The gathering marked the anniversary of Russia’s 1993 constitutional crisis, when the country’s parliament clashed with its president, Boris Yeltsin.
On his 33rd birthday, the mood in Russia is increasingly gloomy. The Russians have been subjected to regular strikes by Ukraine against their energy and logistics infrastructure, which have become increasingly offensive over the summer.
The assault caused massive gas pipelines, paralyzed e-commerce systems and left towering columns of smoke above many Russian cities.
Putin was appointed by Yeltsin in 1999 and has ruled the country for more than a quarter of a century.
The Communist Party has maintained a cautious relationship with Putin, not clashing with the 73-year-old while maintaining its position as an opposition party.
On the key issue of the war in Ukraine, the party supports the government.
Gn world
