The recent protests against Russian Prime Minister Medvedev’s alleged corruption, exposed by Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, caused Moscow to further tighten controls on freedom of information and dissemination methods by social media of anti-government activities. The measures seem to have worked as a follow-on protest in Triumfalnaya Square in Moscow fizzled this weekend as only 31 people were arrested according to city security services.
“A total of 31 people were detained during an unauthorized rally near Triumfalnaya Square on charges of violations of public order,” a spokesman said. According to a police source, seven more people were detained near Manezhnaya Square, just a stone’s throw from the Kremlin, reported Russian state news agency TASS.
Other cities in Russia also had rallies although many were just as small. “Thus, some twenty people took part in a rally in Ryazan, 20 – in Ivanovo, 13 – in Yakutsk, 40 – in Barnaul,” the spokesman said.
Biggest rallies were held in Novosibirsk (400 people), Samara (650 people), and Astrakhan (250 people).
“No violations of public order were reported during these rallies.”
