2017–2018 Russian protests

File:Митинг в Москве 26 марта 2017.png

In March 2017, Alexei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation launched the campaign He Is Not Dimon To You, accusing Dmitry Medvedev, the prime minister and former president of Russia, of corruption.{{cite news|last=Tamkin|first=Emily|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/02/navalnys-anti-corruption-fund-accuses-medvedev-of-secret-massive-estate/|title=Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund Accuses Medvedev of Secret Massive Estate|publisher=Foreign Policy|date=2 March 2017|access-date=2 July 2017}} The authorities both ignored the report produced by Navalny and commented that the report was issued by a "convicted criminal" and was not worth commenting on.

On 26 March, Navalny organized a series of anti-corruption rallies in different cities across Russia. This appeal was responded to by the representatives of 95 of Russian cities, and four cities abroad: London, Prague, Basel and Bonn.{{cite news|url=http://www.rosbalt.ru/russia/2017/03/23/1601435.html|title=Мы ждем перемен? [We are waiting for change?]|date=23 March 2017|publisher=ROSBALT}} In some cities, the rallies were sanctioned by the authorities, but in others, including Saint Petersburg, they were prohibited. Moscow authorities declined the event request by Navalny in the city centre, but did not suggest any alternative location. Navalny referred to a decision of the Constitutional court and declared{{clarify|date=July 2018}} the event for being permitted.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rbc.ru/politics/19/03/2017/58cea73f9a79474c5fbcc79e |title=Навальный подтвердил желание провести митинг против коррупции на Тверской |trans-title=Navalny confirmed the desire to hold a rally against corruption on Tverskaya |publisher=RBK| date=19 March 2017|language=ru}} The Moscow police said that 500 people had been detained, but according to the human rights group OVD-Info, 1,030 people were detained in Moscow alone, including Navalny himself.{{cite news|last1=Mortensen|first1=Antonia|first2=Fred|last2=Pleitgen|first3=Matt|last3=Rehbein|first4=Ryan|last4=Prior|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/26/world/russia-corruption-protests/index.html|title=Report: Hundreds arrested at anti-corruption protests in Russia|publisher=CNN|date=25 March 2017|access-date=5 July 2017}}{{Cite news|last1=Walker|first1=Shaun|title=Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny jailed after protests|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/27/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-at-court-following-arrest|work=The Guardian|date=27 March 2017}}{{cite news|title=Russia jails protests leader Alexei Navalny for 15 days|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39404985|work=BBC News|date=27 March 2017}}

The Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs posted a message on its official website with a call to Moscow residents not to join the event. It said that the action in Moscow was not coordinated with the municipality and was illegal.{{cite press release|url=https://77.xn--b1aew.xn--p1ai/news/item/9732355/|script-title=ru:Официальная информация – 23 Марта 21:08|trans-title=Official Information – 23 March 21:08|language=ru|work=Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation|date=23 March 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503221924/https://77.xn--b1aew.xn--p1ai/news/item/9732355/|archive-date=3 May 2017}}

File:Видео с митинга в Екатеринбурге 2017-03-26.ogg

On 26 March, an estimated 60,000 people took part in anti-corruption protests across 80 Russian towns and cities and hundreds of protesters were detained, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny and employees of the Anti-Corruption Foundation.{{cite news|last1=Luhn|first1=Alec|last2=Walker|first2=Shaun|title=Opposition leader Alexei Navalny detained amid protests across Russia|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/26/opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-arrested-amid-protests-across-russia|access-date=14 June 2017|work=The Guardian|date=27 March 2017}}

According to Human Rights Watch, Russian authorities have harassed, intimidated, or threatened to expel schoolchildren and university students who participated in anti-corruption demonstrations on 26 March. 70 children were arrested in Moscow alone.{{cite news|title=Russia: Children, Students Targeted after Protests|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/11/russia-children-students-targeted-after-protests|access-date=14 June 2017|work=Human Rights Watch|date=11 June 2017}}

The United States Department of State condemned the detention of protesters, including Alexei Navalny, stating that "detaining peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values."{{cite news|last1=Rothwell|first1=James|title=Washington condemns arrests of hundreds of protesters against Vladimir Putin's government|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/26/hundreds-arrested-mass-protests-against-vladimir-putins-government/|access-date=14 June 2017|work=The Telegraph|date=27 March 2017}}

Action organized by the Open Russia civic movement led by Mikhail Khodorkovsky took place in dozens of cities all across Russia. Action was called "Fed up with" ("Nadoel" in Russian) with the aim to urge for changes in Russian political rule. Protestors called for Putin and government to resign. In Saint Petersburg, Tyumen, Kemerovo, Tula and several other cities rallies were suppressed by police, with a total of 200 people being detained countrywide.{{Cite web|url=https://meduza.io/feature/2017/04/29/nam-nado-trenirovat-sebya-dalshe-kak-proshla-protestnaya-aktsiya-nadoel-po-vsey-rossii|title="Нам надо тренировать себя дальше" Как прошла протестная акция "Надоел" по всей России}} As a consequence, the Open Russia organization was labeled as "undesirable" by Russia's prosecutor general, so that it was officially banned from operating in the country and its website was blocked by official Media Authorities Roscomnadzor{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/world/europe/open-russia-khodorkovsky-putin-opponent-protests.html|title=Russia Bans Group Led by a Kremlin Critic as More Protests Loom|first=Neil|last=MacFarquhar|date=26 April 2017|work=The New York Times}}

A new wave of protests with the same goals was announced by Navalny on spring. They took place in even more cities. They occurred in 154 towns and cities. According to Reuters and rights groups, tens of thousands of protesters attended and more than one thousand were detained. A Moscow court sentenced Navalny to 30 days in prison for calling people to the protest.{{cite news|last1=Reiter|first1=Svetlana|last2=Osborn|first2=Andrew|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-opposition-protests-idUSKBN192167|title=Anti-Kremlin protesters fill Russian streets, Putin critic Navalny jailed|work=Reuters|location=Moscow|access-date=14 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611211547/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-opposition-protests-idUSKBN192167|archive-date=11 June 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Walker|first1=Shaun|title=Putin critic Alexei Navalny jailed after calling for Moscow protests|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/12/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-detained-moscow-protest|access-date=14 June 2017|work=The Guardian|date=12 June 2017}}

White House spokesman Sean Spicer condemned the arrest of protesters and called for their release. Russian authorities rejected US petitions and criticised the widening on the sanctions against Russia.{{cite news|first=Dmitry|last=Solovyov|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-opposition-protests-kremlin-us-idUSKBN1941DZ?il=0|title=Kremlin says Russia will not heed U.S. calls to free protesters|work=Reuters|date=13 June 2017|access-date=14 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613154454/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-opposition-protests-kremlin-us-idUSKBN1941DZ?il=0|archive-date=13 June 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Gilchrist|first1=Karen|title=US condemns Russia for protest arrests, says people deserve 'transparent and accountable governance'|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/13/us-condemns-russia-for-protest-arrests-says-people-deserve-transparent-and-accountable-governance.html|access-date=14 June 2017|work=CNBC|date=13 June 2017}}

Protest actions against corruption in the highest echelons of the Russian government were held on 7 October 2017, on the day of the 65th anniversary of V.V. Putin in the form of rallies, processions and single pickets in 79 cities of Russia. At the rallies came from 2560 to 21,520 people, like the supporters of Navalny, and his opponents. The main rallies were rallies in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In Saint Petersburg, the action began on the Field of Mars, and in Moscow on Tverskaya Street. The reason for their conduct were facts of corruption V.V. Putin and his associates. 290 participants of the action were detained.

In Moscow, many police were present, the Okhotny Ryad station was closed. The police conducted selective searches of citizens, many were taken away in padded wagons. At 13:00 on the message OVD-Info in Moscow, 82 people were detained. 2 people were detained in Saint Petersburg, 4 in Krasnoyarsk. Also detained a representative of the "Echo of Moscow". Later in Saint Petersburg, another 10 people were detained near the Smolny Institute.

At 21:00 on the message OVD-Info, the number of detainees increased to 448 people. Most of the detentions took place in Moscow – 339, in Saint Petersburg 21 people, according to unconfirmed reports, 49 of them – minors. It remains to spend the night in the police departments, on the night of 6 November, about 112 people.

Protests within the framework of the "Strike of voters" were held on 28 January 2018 in the form of rallies, processions and solitary pickets in 118 cities of Russia. The reason was the refusal of the CEC to register at the election of Alexei Navalny, after which he announced a protest on 28 January, and urged all his supporters not to come to the elections and agitate others not to take part in them. The Ministry of Internal Affairs estimated the number of participants in the shares of 3500–4500 people, the HROs – in 5000. According to the supporters of Navalny, the participants were much more. The New Times, referring to eyewitnesses, reported 4,000–5,000 protesters in Moscow and 2,000–3,000 in Saint Petersburg. In Yekaterinburg, in an agreed action, Mayor Yevgeny Roizman and Navaly Head of Staff Leonid Volkov took part and spoke at the rally. The presidential candidate, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, spoke with several protestors on Tverskaya Street in Moscow. According to various estimates, about 15,000 people took part in the protests.

Approximately 13,000 people gathered in Moscow central Sakharov square for a protest rally to urge government to unblock Telegram Messenger.{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-telegram-protests/paper-plane-protesters-urge-russia-to-unblock-telegram-app-idUSKBN1I11O5|title=Paper plane protesters urge Russia to unblock Telegram app|publisher=Reuters|date=30 April 2018|access-date=4 July 2019}} The app was blocked by Roscomnadzor, Russian media authorities who claimed it was used to coordinate terror attacks. Protesters denounced the block as the censorship act and freedom of speech violation.

File:«Он нам не царь» в Москве (2018-05-05) 133.jpg

File:Chelyabinsk protests 5th may 2018.jpg

Mass protest actions and rallies took place in 90 towns and cities over the country against Vladimir Putin fourth inauguration.

Alexey Navalny in his blog compared Vladimir Putin with a tsar.

More than thousand people were arrested countrywide.

The majority of people were detained in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Yakutsk, Krasnodar, Tolyatti, Krasnoyarsk, Voronezh, Astrakhan, Penza, Kaluga, Belgorod, Novokuznetsk, Vladimir and Samara.{{Cite news|last1=Ferris-Rotman|first1=Amie|last2=Troianovski|first2=Anton|author-link2=Anton Troianovski|date=5 May 2018|title=Russian police detain more than 1,600 protesting Putin's 4th presidential term|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/thousands-of-russians-rally-against-putin-ahead-of-inauguration/2018/05/05/3007a9a2-503d-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html|url-access=limited|access-date=4 July 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|location=Moscow}}

{{main|2018 Russian pension protests}}

File:Volunteers and employees Newcaster.TV and Anti-corruption Foundation arrested (2017-03-26).jpg

From July, almost every weekend, protest rallies and demonstrations were organized against the planned retirement age hike. Such events occurred in nearly all major cities countrywide including Novosibirsk, St.-Petersburg and Moscow. Total number of participants exceeded 200 thousands, with maximal single-event attendance of about 15 thousands (in Moscow). These events were coordinated by all opposition parties with the leading role of the communists. Also trade unions and some individual politicians (among whom Navalny) functioned as organizers of the public actions.

The most noticeable street rallies, related with the retirement-age reform, proceeded on 1 July, 18, 28 July-29 July, 2 September and 9 September 2018.{{cite web |url= https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jul/28/tens-of-thousands-of-russians-protest-retirement-a/ |title= Tens of thousands of Russians protest retirement age hikes |author= J. Heintz |publisher= The Washington Times |date= 2018-07-28|access-date= 2018-07-30 }} So, on 2 September, large-scale anti-reform manifestations were led by the Russian communists and some other left-wing oppositional political forces.{{cite web |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-protests-pensions/despite-putins-concessions-russians-protest-pension-reform-law-idUSKCN1LI0DU |title= Despite Putin's concessions, Russians protest pension reform law |author= P. Ivanova |publisher= Reuters |date= 2018-09-02|access-date= 2018-09-05 }} A week later, on 9 September, the rallies were organized by Alexey Navalny all over Russia, over 800 people were detained.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics/anti-kremlin-protesters-rally-across-russia-against-pension-age-hike-idUSKCN1LP05A|title=Russian police detain hundreds protesting against pension reform|author=A. Kuzmin, A. Osborn|date=2018-09-09|publisher=Reuters|access-date=2018-09-10}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45463883 |title= Russia pension protests: Police break up opposition rallies|date=2018-09-09|publisher=BBC|access-date=2018-09-10}}{{cite web |url= https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/09/09/world/europe/ap-eu-russia-pension-protests.html |title=Russians Rally Against Raising Pension Age|work= The New York Times |date= 2018-09-11|access-date= 2018-09-12 }}

The Anti-Corruption Foundation building was evacuated due to a bomb message, interrupting the webcast of the protest conducted from the office. Soon the staff of the Foundation were detained by police, who also began to conduct searches and seizure of equipment.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

Some time later, Alexei Navalny was charged with organizing an unlawful meeting. An ACF employee and the head of the Moscow branch of the unregistered "Party of progress" Nikolay Lyaskin was detained for 25 days. Leonid Volkov, the head of Alexei Navalny's presidential campaign, was charged with extremism.{{cite news|script-title=ru:Главу избирательного штаба Навального арестовали на 10 суток|trans-title=The head of the electoral headquarters, Navalny, was arrested for 10 days|language=ru|url=http://www.rbc.ru/society/27/03/2017/58d9470a9a79470ed6b96632|work=RBK|date=27 March 2017}}

An April 2017 Levada poll found that 45% of surveyed Russians support the resignation of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev,{{cite news|first=Leonid|last=Bershidsky|author-link=Leonid Bershidsky |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-04-26/russian-polls-do-mean-something-after-all|title=Russian Polls Do Mean Something After All|publisher=Bloomberg|date=26 April 2017|access-date=17 September 2017}} while 33% opposed. Newsweek reported that "An opinion poll by the Moscow-based Levada Center indicated that 38 percent of Russians supported the rallies and that 67 percent held Putin personally responsible for high-level corruption". A May 2017 Levada poll found that 58% of surveyed Russians supported the protests, while 23% said they disapprove."[http://www.levada.ru/2017/06/13/aktsii-protesta-12-iyunya/ Акции протеста 12 июня]". Levada Centre. 13 June 2017

In May, Yury Kuly was sentenced to 8 months in jail, and on 24 May Alexander Shpakov was sentenced for 1.5 years in jail, both for alleged violence against the police on the 26 March rally in Moscow.{{cite news|url=http://www.interfax.ru/russia/563691|title=Участник мартовской акции в Москве осужден на полтора года колонии|date=24 March 2017|publisher=Interfax|language=ru|access-date=24 May 2017}}

Protests, meeting and pickets have been erupted in 79-154 towns and cities. Some protests ended with mass arrests and clashes with police (such as Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg).

{{expand section|date=July 2021}}

{{expand section|date=July 2021}}

On 5 May, an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 protests have taken to the streets, protesters clashed with police, which resulted in arrests of 164 to 200. There are no official figures.

{{expand section|date=July 2021}}

Russian state television completely ignored the protests on Sunday. Monday morning's bulletins were similarly blank. Pro-Kremlin newspapers also ignored the protests.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39403714|title=Russia protests|publisher=BBC.com|date=27 March 2017|access-date=7 June 2017}}

File:Anti-Corruption Rally in Saint Petersburg (2017-06-12) 28.jpg

Across the country, students have reported being press-ganged into lectures warning them of the perils of supporting those opposed to Putin. Some schools and universities have simply tasked teachers with persuading their students not to go to protests. A 13-year old student was quoted as saying: "They don't have the right to 'reeducate' us, to change our political views. I think they're doing this because they're afraid. They know that one day we'll be able to vote."{{cite news|url=http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/05/15/17/russian-students-face-lectures-over-anti-putin-views|title=Russian students face lectures over anti-Putin views|date=15 May 2017|publisher=news.abs-cbn.com|agency=Agence France Presse|access-date=17 September 2017}}

Alisa Vox, a Russian singer, appeared in the video for "Baby Boy", posted online on 15 May. It has amassed more than 2.1 million views and more than a quarter of a million 'dislikes', or downvotes.

Navalny said Vox's video was a Russian government PR stunt to dissuade his supporters that she had received money for.{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/russia-paid-35000-anti-protest-music-video-and-everyone-hates-it-617042|title=Russian Government 'Paid $35,000' For Anti-Protest Music Video, And Everyone Hates It|publisher=Newsweek|date=29 May 2017|access-date=8 June 2017}}

In many cities, on the day of the protest, the public transport route was specially changed so that it was more difficult for people to get to the protest.

The protest actions on 12 June 7 October, 5 November 2017 and 28 January 2018 were not mentioned at all on state-owned TV channels and the media.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

File:Alexei Navalny marching in 2017.jpg|Navalny in Moscow,
26 March 2017

File:St. Petersburg, the Field of Mars, meeting on March 26, 2017.jpg|Field of Mars, St. Petersburg,
26 March 2017

File:Nizhny Novgorod. Anti-Corruption Rally (26 March 2017).jpg|Markin Square, Nizhny Novgorod,
26 March 2017

File:Reunión de la protesta en Ekaterimburgo, 26.03.2017.jpg|Yekaterinburg,
26 March 2017

File:Kaliningrad Rally «Don't call him Dimon» (2017-03-26) 02.jpg|Kaliningrad,
26 March 2017

File:26 марта 2017 Чебоксары.jpg|Cheboksary,
26 March 2017

File:Антикоррупционная акция в Хабаровске 26 марта 2017.jpg|Khabarovsk,
26 March 2017

File:Samara. Anti-Corruption Rally (12 June 2017).jpg|Samara,
12 June 2017

File:Митинг 2017-06-12 в Екатеринбурге.jpg|Yekaterinburg,
12 June 2017

File:Anti-Corruption Rally in Saint Petersburg (2017-06-12) 54.jpg|Saint Petersburg,
12 June 2017

File:St. Petersburg, the Field of Mars, meeting on June 12, 2017 - 01.jpg|Field of Mars, OMON during the rally,
12 June 2017

File:Chelyabinsk protests 5th may 2018.jpg|Rally in the city of Chelyabinsk, 5 May 2018

• 2011–13 Russian protests
• 2014 anti-war protests in Russia
• 2017 Belarusian protests
• 2018 Russian pension protests
• 2019 Moscow protests
• 2021 Russian protests
• List of protests in the 21st century

{{reflist|group=nb}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39398305 Russia protests: Opposition leader Navalny and hundreds others arrested (BBC News)]

• Badalyan K., Gavrov S. Leaders of public opinion: Political communication with youth in Russia during 2018-2019 // Russian journal of communication. Tom 9, № 2, London: Taylor & Francis, 2021. – РР. 238-252.[https://doi.org/10.1080/19409419.2021.1999154]

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{{Anti-Corruption Foundation}}

{{Dmitry Medvedev}}

{{Vladimir Putin}}

{{Alexei Navalny}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Russian protests, 2017-2018}}

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