Prospects for Russia’s nascent protests unclear after rally

After calling two nationwide demonstrations in three months that have rattled the Kremlin, it’s clear that opposition leader Alexei Navalny has the ability to bring people into the streets.

What’s less certain, however, is whether the demonstrations can grow into a genuine political movement.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets Monday in more than 100 cities and towns across Russia to express their frustration with President Vladimir Putin and governing elites who are largely perceived as corrupt and self-serving.

The Moscow rally broke with the tradition of an orderly opposition gathering where middle-aged protesters chanted anti-Putin slogans on a square in Moscow’s periphery.

Instead, the crowd of mostly teenagers and those in their 20s thronged to a main thoroughfare in the heart of the capital, chanting “Down with the czar!” and climbing scaffolds and lamp posts. At least 1,750 people were detained at the protests across Russia, with baton-wielding police in riot gear seizing nearly 900 in Moscow alone.

Navalny, who called for the demonstrations, rose to prominence with his investigations of official corruption and is expanding his reach to a younger crowd by posting his videos to YouTube. He was detained by police outside his Moscow home before he could even head to the protest. That left no one to lead the rally in the capital. Like the other demonstrations across the country, it was chaotic and lacking in any clear political demands.

Current Russian opposition groups and their leaders don’t seem to hold much attraction for the protesters, said Masha Lipman, an independent Moscow-based political analyst.