People take part in an anti-Kremlin rally in support of former regional governor Sergei Furgal arrested on murder charges, in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, Russia August 8, 2020. The placard reads: “I am/We are Sergei Furgal”. REUTERS/Evgenii Pereverzev
MOSCOW (Reuters) – About 3,000 people joined another march in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday in protest over President Vladimir Putin’s handling of a local political crisis.
Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are protesting for a fifth consecutive weekend against the detention of Sergei Furgal, the wider region’s popular governor.
Furgal was arrested on July 9 in connection with murder charges he denies.
His supporters say the detention is politically motivated. It has triggered weeks of street protests, creating a headache for the Kremlin facing a sharp drop in real incomes as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and trying to keep a lid on unrest as the economy stutters.
Regional authorities estimated around 2,800 people took part in the latest march, a smaller turnout than previous weeks.
Reuters images showed people marching with posters reading, “Give us back Furgal” and, “Away with the repressions”.
Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Mike Harrison