Support The Moscow Times!

51 National Bolsheviks Arrested at Duma

Police detaining National Bolsheviks as they shout anti-government slogans outside the State Duma on Monday. Sergey Ponomarev
Fifty-one activists from the unregistered National Bolshevik Party were arrested Monday after trying to force their way into the State Duma.

"We were simply demanding that the laws of this country be adhered to," said group spokesman Alexander Averin.

He said that 70 activists had turned up and shouted slogans outside the Duma building.

The Constitution states that parliamentary sessions are open to the public except in special cases.

"The police would not let us inside, but we tried anyway, and they hauled about 50 of us off to the police station," Averin said.

Monday's incident closely resembled last week's arrest of more than 30 activists who broke into the Finance Ministry to protest the government's economic policies.

In early September, 30 activists held another unsanctioned protest outside the Duma after they were denied entry to an open session.

"That did play a part" in Monday's protest, Averin said. "Why have all these laws if no one is going to follow them?"

Averin said the group was also protesting the government's treatment of citizens who lost their savings in the economic turmoil of the 1990s.

"We had to stop them before they entered the building," city police spokesman Yevgeny Gildeyev said. Duma security officials called police around 11:20 a.m., he said. The activists were charged with holding an unsanctioned protest.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more