Tens of thousands protest against Putin in Russian far east

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-governor/tens-of-thousands-protest-against-putin-in-russian-far-east-idUSKCN24Q09J

Yury Zolotarev, Andrew Osborn
July 25, 2020 / 3:36 AM / Updated July 26, 2020

Tens of thousands marched in the Russian far east on Saturday, the third such weekend protest in a row, to express their anger over what they say is President Vladimir Putin’s mishandling of a local political crisis.

Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are unhappy about the detention this month of the wider region’s popular governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on murder charges he denies.

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City authorities estimated around 6,500 people had taken part. One local media outlet put the number at up to 20,000, while other outlets and opposition activists said upwards of 50,000 had attended and that it was the biggest protest of its kind so far.

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