August is often seen as a troublesome month in Russia; but this year it is July that may be remembered as the month when the power-holders abandoned all pretenses at democratic legitimacy and proved that their claim to authority was based on crude force. Political protests in Moscow and Siberia are not being deterred by the use of heavy police force. The Russian authorities have been using a range of tactics to try to stop protesters from marching on Sunday. Demonstrators carried on regardless, though, as they did with earlier protests on 27 July. The excessive force deployed by the authorities has been condemned by the UK, German and French governments, as well as the EU. Meanwhile, public anger continues to swell in Siberia where 90% of the raging wildfires have continued unchecked due to a lack of funding.
Political protests in Moscow and Siberia are not being deterred by the use of heavy police force. The Russian authorities have been using a range of tactics to try to stop protesters from marching on Sunday. Demonstrators carried on regardless, though, as they did with earlier protests on 27 July. The excessive force deployed by the authorities has been condemned by the UK, German and French governments, as well as the EU. Meanwhile, public anger continues to swell in Siberia where 90% of the raging wildfires have continued unchecked due to a lack of funding.