Hundreds arrested in massive anti-corruption protests in Russia
Last Sunday, a series of anti-corruption protests swept through 75 cities in Russia, leading to the arrests of hundreds of demonstrators — a rare show of defiance that hasn’t been seen on this scale since anti-government protests in 2011.
Opposition organizers said crowds gathered in around 100 cities and towns across the country despite the Kremlin declaring the protests unauthorized and “illegal” and Russian authorities urging people to stay away. The protests appeared to be in solidarity with top Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny — who was also arrested in the demonstrations. In the lead-up to the protests, Navalny had traveled around the country stirring up opposition support but allegedly faced bomb threats.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first remarks on the protests after days of silence. He compared the show of resistance to the chaos that followed as a result of the Arab Spring.