VIDEO SHOT BY ALEXEY KOVALEV SHOWS MASSIVE POLICE PRESENCE AND VIOLENT ARREST OF PROTESTORS
Things are getting quite tense around Pushkin sq, lots of people arrested. State media blackout. pic.twitter.com/ZqBy2HwFY8
— Alexey Kovalev (@Alexey__Kovalev) March 26, 2017
Thousands of Russians took to the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg today to protest corruption, demanding the resignation of Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev. Russian state media reports that over 500 protestors have been arrested including Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny.
Navalny recently published a report alleging massive corruption by the Russian PM, detailing a vast empire of mansions, yachts and other luxuries obtained with corrupt money and means. The report clams that Medvedev “practically openly created a corrupt network of charitable foundations through which he receives bribes from oligarchs and frantically builds himself palaces and vacation homes across the whole country.”
Murdered Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov produced a similar report with co-author Leonid Martynyuk about Vladimir Putin’s empire of corruption in 2012, later translated and published by UpNorth.
The Navalny report on Medvedev was accompanied by an English subtitled video that has received millions of views on YouTube.
Navalny called on Russians to join the protests, which the Kremlin said is illegal. The protests are the largest since the Boris Nemtosv led protests in 2012.
Russian journalist, Alexey Kovalev has reports that the situation in Central Moscow is “tense”, with several protesters being arrested. A government imposed a blackout has been imposed as well. Videos posted by Kovelev show massive police presence in Moscow and violent arrests of demonstrators.
Absolutely nothing of note is happening in central Moscow today, state media report. Move on folks, nothing to see here. pic.twitter.com/NDT3SlJJzq
— Alexey Kovalev (@Alexey__Kovalev) March 26, 2017
Opposition leader Alexey Navalny detained in a police bus near Moscow’s Mayakovskaya, reports Vedomosti https://t.co/XndcnI3OMS pic.twitter.com/OOQxQFVTBX
— Jason Corcoran (@jason_corcoran) March 26, 2017
In #StPetersburg thousands #protesters flood the Palace Square. This is so reminiscent of 1917!#RussiaProtests pic.twitter.com/UzrlpkcKBo
— Alex Kokcharov (@AlexKokcharov) March 26, 2017
