Demonstrations took place for the fourth week in the eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk to demand the release of the detained governor of the region, and condemn the policies of President Vladimir Putin.
Despite the rainy weather, thousands took to the streets of Khabarovsk (6100 km southeast of Moscow) with slogans condemning the arrest of the region's governor, Sergey Vergal, 50, and the appointment of Mikhail Diktyriov as the new governor of the province, which is the size of Turkey and has a population of 1.6 million residents.
Simultaneously, demonstrations took place for the same reason in ten other cities, during which security forces arrested 55 people, according to a Russian organization for political arrests.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, security forces arrested a number of demonstrators during the dispersal of solidarity stops called by the opposition in several cities, in support of the ongoing protests in Khabarovsk.
Returning to what is happening in Khabarovsk, the security forces have so far avoided confronting the protesters, even though these demonstrations are not authorized, and for his part, the newly appointed governor accused the protesters of receiving external support, which he described as the instigator.
The authorities arrested Vergal on the ninth of last July on charges of assassinating two businessmen, and attempting to murder a third between 2005 and 2006, and a trial is currently taking place in the capital. It is reported that the arrested ruler is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
While the authorities consider the case a criminal case, critics of Putin's policies say that Vergal's arrest now, nearly 15 years after the crimes he was accused of, which he denies, is an attempt to destroy his political future because he defeated the Kremlin candidate in the local elections in Khabarovsk in 2018.
"Putin ... go away"
In the demonstrations today in Khabarovsk, the demonstrators chanted slogans including "Go ahead, Putin" and held up banners including "Russia without Putin, freedom, we came at our will."
They also carried placards expressing solidarity with Vergal, who is being tried on charges dating back to a period when a businessman was before he later entered political life, and inflicted a major defeat on the candidate of the "United Russia" party in the 2018 local elections.
The Khabarovsk authorities estimated the number of participants in today's demonstrations at 3,500 demonstrators, while local media estimated them at approximately 10,000, but said that the crowds were less than last week's protests.
Tens of thousands had participated in the demonstrations last Saturday, in which the participants chanted slogans, some of whom called Putin a thief, demanding the release of Vergal and his trial in his hometown. Foragal's popularity increased dramatically locally to compete with that of Putin.
The Russian Far East protests have embarrassed Putin and challenged his strong grip on power, which was reinforced by recent constitutional amendments that would enable him to stay in power until 2036.
Among the factors fueling protests in the Far East are marginalization by the central authority in Moscow, and concerns about the repercussions of the Corona crisis on the economy of the region bordering China, which most of its residents are active in mining, coal mining and forests.