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Public Rallies

Putin Rally Raises Bar for Opponents
24 February 2012
By Jonathan Earle and Alexander Bratersky
In a show of strength and administrative muscle that for its sheer size upped the ante for street protests, Prime Minister and presidential hopeful Vladimir Putin declared himself a true patriot to tens of thousands of people at Luzhniki stadium on Thursday and promised to fight for Russia.

Garden Ring Hosts Opposing Rallies

20 February 2012
By Nikolaus von Twickel
Two weeks before the March 4 presidential election, supporters and critics of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin came out on foot, in cars and even on ice skates.

Bureaucrats Block Protesting Lego Men
16 February 2012
By Ezekiel Pfeifer
Unprecedented protests have been held across Russia in recent months at which tens of thousands of demonstrators have been allowed to verbally lambaste the government.

Opposition Plans 'Farewell to Political Winter' Rally
14 February 2012
Members of the political opposition put in an application Monday to hold a rally on Feb. 26 called "Farewell to the Political Winter" on Ploshchad Revolyutsii next to the Kremlin, RIA-Novosti reported.

Pro-Putin March Plan For Feb. 23
10 February 2012
Supporters of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin plan to hold a march Feb. 23 and expect that 200,000 people will come — including even the prime minister himself, officials with his campaign said Thursday.

Rallies Ushering Out Business as Usual

07 February 2012
By Anatoly Medetsky and Howard Amos
A record turnout at the weekend's opposition rally prompted economists Monday to predict a longer period of political uncertainty for business and the chance of a runoff in the presidential election.

Protest Fever Stays High Despite Cold

06 February 2012
By Alexander Bratersky
Bone-chilling cold did little to lessen the spirit of protesters calling for political reform as tens of thousands took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday in a show of strength that does not appear to have diminished.

Thousands Rally as Political Forces Vie for Advantage

04 February 2012
By Alec Luhn and Ezekiel Pfeifer
On a day when temperatures dipped as low as minus 19 C, tens of thousands bundled up to attend two main events in different parts of the city: an opposition march from Kaluzhskaya Ploshchad to Bolotnaya Ploshchad and an "anti-orange" rally at Poklonnaya Gora in support of Putin.

Hundreds of Drivers Call for Fair Elections

30 January 2012
Hundreds of cars with white ribbons, banners and balloons drove around Moscow's Garden Ring Road on Sunday afternoon to demand fair elections and urge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to step down.

Thousands Rally for Putin's Bid

30 January 2012
YEKATERINBURG — Thousands of supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rallied Saturday to back his bid to return to the Kremlin, a week before what are likely to be far larger opposition protests to demand greater political choice.

Opposition Faces Rival Feb. 4 Rallies

27 January 2012
By Jonathan Earle
After weeks of haggling, City Hall and the opposition struck a compromise deal early Thursday that would allow tens of thousands of protesters to march in central Moscow on Feb. 4. But the event might face competition from other demonstrations, including a pro-Kremlin counter-rally.

Medvedev Tightens Rules For Rallies Near Kremlin

12 January 2012
President Dmitry Medvedev has added a spot outside the Kremlin to a list of places requiring presidential permission for public events — likely making it off-limits for any kind of opposition protest, RIA-Novosti reported Wednesday.

Rally Suggests Protest Mood Is Growing

24 December 2011
By Alexander Bratersky and Natalya Krainova
The holiday mood, winter chill and end-of-the-year fatigue failed to dampen the country’s newfound political activism, with a protest on Moscow's Prospekt Akademika Sakharova on Saturday garnering more people than its Dec. 10 predecessor on Bolotnaya Ploshchad.

Leaks Target Nemtsov Before Rally

20 December 2011
By Alexander Bratersky
Days before a Moscow opposition protest that is expected to attract tens of thousands of people, a pro-Kremlin tabloid has leaked the private phone conversations of one of the rally's main organizers, Boris Nemtsov, who happened to mince no words in describing other protest leaders.

Putin Assails U.S. and Protesters
16 December 2011
By Nikolaus von Twickel
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ridiculed opposition protesters, assailed the United States and hinted at further political reform in a traditional televised call-in show Thursday that bore all the hallmarks of a presidential campaign speech.

Surprise Exam Has Political Message
13 December 2011
The last-minute test thousands of Russian children were suddenly required to take on the day of the biggest anti-government rallies in years contained political messages, revealed examples from some exams that have appeared on the Internet.

State TV Puts Neutral Spin on Duma Vote Protests
13 December 2011
By Alexandra Odynova
Much to the surprise of observers and regular Russian television viewers, state-run channels gave substantial coverage to Saturday's anti-government rallies in Moscow and other cities — even if they still managed to present the protests as insignificant, apolitical events.

Thousands at Pro-Kremlin Rally

13 December 2011
Two days after a record protest rally in Moscow, the ruling United Russia party staged its own demonstration in the capital, but insisted that it was not a reaction to the opposition’s event.

Protest Called Amazing, What’s Next?

12 December 2011
By Alexandra Odynova
Saturday's rally in Moscow marked an "amazing," even unprecedented, event for modern Russia. Yet though euphoria was palpable in the air, it came with a tinge of pessimism, fueled by the simple question: "What's next?"

Silliness, Civic Activism Merge at Record Rally
12 December 2011
By Alexey Eremenko, Kevin O’Flynn and Alexander Winning
Nobody quite knows what "Upyachka" is, either in Russian or in English. But it was important enough for some people to mention on protest posters next to "Freedom" and "Equality."

Election Protests Liveblog

10 December 2011
By Roland Oliphant
Welcome to The Moscow Times liveblog of today's election protests. In case you need reminding, 30,000 people were expected in central Moscow on Saturday for the largest anti-government protests in Russia in recent years. Their demands: cancel the results of last Sunday's parliamentary elections, which they say were fraudulent.

Putin Blames Clinton for Unrest

09 December 2011
By Irina Filatova and Alexey Eremenko
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday of instigating the public protests against the State Duma elections as tens of thousands signed up to rally over the weekend.

250 Held in 2nd Night of Vote Protests
07 December 2011
By Alexander Bratersky, Nikolaus von Twickel and Rina Soloveitchik
Opposition activists and pro-Kremlin youth faced off for the first time in a Moscow square on Tuesday, but police cracked down on the protesters before they could do anything but shout a few slogans.

5,000 Protest Duma Election Results
06 December 2011
By Alexander Bratersky
At least 5,000 protesters vented their frustration with the State Duma vote on Monday evening in central Moscow at one of the biggest liberal opposition rallies in recent years

Activists Try to Rally But Are Blocked by Cops
05 December 2011
By Alexander Bratersky
Several hundred protesters on Sunday evening tried to enter Triumfalnaya Ploshchad in central Moscow, which had been fenced off. Police forcibly prevented them from succeeding, blocked all of the entrances and urged them to disperse.

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