Putin critic Navalny, eyeing power, organizes anti-graft protests

[Drumboy44]

Thousands of Russians are expected to protest against corruption on Monday, part of opposition leader Alexei Navalny's long-shot drive to unseat President Vladimir Putin next year by tapping voter anger over what Navalny says is runaway official graft.

The scale and geographical reach of the protests will show if Navalny can build on the success of a similar event in March, in which thousands took to the streets to call for Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a close Putin ally, to quit.

Those protests were the largest since a wave of anti-Kremlin demonstrations in 2012 and resulted in over 1,000 arrests, putting rare domestic pressure on Putin, who is expected to run for and win re-election next year. Many of those who attended last time were young people, including some school children.

Monday is Russia Day, a public holiday, a factor that may boost turnout.

There is a risk of violence. Authorities in Moscow, the location of what is expected to be the largest protest, authorized a venue well away from the city center.

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN192167

 

[Drumboy44]

Riot police in central Moscow were picking protesters out of the crowd at random, a BBC correspondent at the demonstration has said.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained at his home ahead of the protests, according to his wife.

Thousands of supporters have heeded his call to take to the streets of Moscow and other Russian cities.

OVD-Info, an NGO, told Russian media that more than 400 had been detained at the Moscow protest. More than 300 people were detained at the rally in St Petersburg, the Fontanka.ru news website reported.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40245152

 

[krzepice1976]

Rallies from 76 #Russia cities on the map. Already 800+ detained https://t.co/bTSTKeazbE #RussiaProtests

 

[krzepice1976]

Rallies from 76 #Russia cities on the map. Already 800+ detained https://t.co/bTSTKeazbE #RussiaProtests
https://twitter.com/Liveuamap/status/874269159307300864

And double it. "In Moscow 750 people were detained, in St. Petersburg 900" https://t.co/7qyzQFUsjN https://t.co/9hi6w6nvTT via @ru_rbc

Crackdown on protesters at Tverskaya street in Moscow https://t.co/0VDoOvA8l8 https://t.co/92jdOCaurM via @openrussia_org

 

[Green]

We may be in the midst of a 2nd Russian revolution