This weekend saw a huge spike in the number of Russians turning out onto the streets of Moscow. Some have estimated that the numbers reached into the tens of thousands as people demanded free elections in Russia’s capital. Protesters gathered on Saturday for their fourth consecutive weekend demonstration over the exclusion of opposition and independent candidates from the Moscow city council ballot.
In addition to loud chants through the street protestors also stood holding their homemade placards and posters with slogans.
Slogans included “Give us the right to vote” and “You’ve lied to us enough” while others carried pictures of jailed activists.
Protestors Irina Dargolts a 60-year-old engineer said: “I’m outraged by this injustice at every level.
“They’re not letting candidates stand who have collected all the necessary signatures.
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“They are arresting people who are protesting peacefully.”
The demonstrations have also seemingly evolved to incorporate a wider movement against the Russia state as a whole.
Vladimir Putin has also now called on Google to stop promoting various live streams of the event, despite the Kremlin approving the protest.
In a sharp warning to the US-based tech giant, the statement suggested that continuing to showcase the demonstrations would have consequences.
This plummet could be a result of a stagnant economy, which has led to inflation and lower living standards over the last few years.
Sociologist and pollster Denis Volkov suggested that the initial protests over next month’s elections have allowed Russian people to display collective dissent.
He added: “The protests are about the deep disappointment Russians have in their government.
“It’s like the genie is out of the bottle and people can finally express their frustrations.”