The case has crystallized longstanding resentments in Russia’s far-flung regions toward Moscow, which is often seen as demanding loyalty while giving little in return. Events in the Far East, however, have highlighted the weakness of once reliable methods of control. Local media estimated the rally in the city attracted from 15,000 to 50,000 people. Protests have continued every day since. In an interview with The New York Times this past week, the leader of the party, the nationalist firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky, complained that the Kremlin “treats us like idiots” and gives no space for real opposition. President Vladimir V. Putin can remain in office until 2036 after a national plebiscite delivered a pre-determined outcome. After more than a week of unrest, tens of thousands of people continued to fill the streets in the Russian Far East to protest the arrest of Sergei I. Furgal, a popular regional governor. Instead of being held in Khabarovsk, where authorities allege the crimes took place, Mr. Furgal was flown to Moscow immediately after his arrest, a move seen by many locals as an unwarranted intrusion into their affairs and an effort by the Kremlin to grab control of the case. Khabarovsk authorities estimated that roughly 10,000 people joined the protest march, and that it had “got noticeably thinner” by the end. Khabarovsk police estimated between 10,000 and 12,000 people attended the demonstration, while some local media estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people took part, reporting it … https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/18/world/russian-protests.html Today, that city — Khabarovsk — is leading a dangerous national resistance to perceived repression by the Putin regime. Khabarovsk police have not attempted to crack down on the unsanctioned demonstrations, though a few people have been detained, including a local blogger known for his coverage of the protests. People voted for him nonetheless, delivering a humiliating blow to the main Kremlin party, United Russia, that has been losing seats in regional governments over the past two years. Furgal, the Khabarovsk region governor, was arrested on July 9 and flown to Moscow where he was put in jail for two months. Furgal was elected governor of Khabarovsk Region in 2018 in a landslide victory. People hold posters that read: "Freedom for Khabarovsk region's governor Sergei Furgal" during an unsanctioned protest in support of Sergei Furgal, the governor of the Khabarovsk region, in Khabarovsk, 6100 kilometers (3800 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, July 18, 2020. The Kremlin’s special envoy for the Far East, Yuri P. Trutnev, rushed to Khabarovsk last week to express an understanding of the protests while demanding that they stop. Despite the clashes, several hundred protesters remained in the square for hours after the unrest. Alexander Prikhodko, born in … Furgal has denied the charges, which relate to his time as a businessman importing consumer goods ranging from timber and metals. Police in Khabarovsk, in Russia’s Far East, on October 10, 2020 beat peaceful protesters and arbitrarily detained over 20 people, Human Rights Watch said today. UP offeres the best coverage on Khabarovsk and other important topics. But that failed, too, with Mr. Furgal’s supporters thronging the streets in even larger numbers. KHABAROVSK, Russia (AP) — Mass rallies challenging the Kremlin rocked Russia’s Far East city of Khabarovsk again on Saturday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest the arrest of the region’s governor on charges of involvement in multiple murders. Protesters on Saturday focused their chants and banners on mostly local grievances, demanding that Mr. Furgal be returned to his home region and given a fair trial. They chanted “freedom, freedom” but muted the denunciations of President Vladimir V. Putin that were heard at earlier protests. Demonstrators … Local media suggested that the number was higher, some even saying that up to 50,000 had taken part; that number, however, could not immediately be verified. In Vladivostok, however, a number of arrests were reported. The protests began after the arrest on July 9 on murder charges of Khabarovsk’s governor, Sergei I. Furgal, one of a handful of regional leaders not affiliated with a party entirely controlled by the Kremlin. Khabarovsk residents dismissed the charges against him as unsubstantiated and denounced the Kremlin for targeting a governor they elected. Law enforcement warned the demonstrators to stop, but that was ignored. MOSCOW (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators gathered again Saturday in the major Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk to denounce the arrest of the region’s governor a month ago. Police officers in Khabarovsk made no effort to stop what the authorities described as an “illegal” but peaceful protest and instead handed out face masks. Smaller rallies in support of Furgal also took place Saturday in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, another big city in the Khabarovsk region, and in the city of Vladivostok in the neighboring Primorye region. The protests, unauthorised by authorities, are the largest ever to have taken place in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000. Thousands more attended protests in other regional towns and in Vladivostok, a port city on the Pacific Ocean in neighboring Primorsky Krai. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation “not standard” this week. The mayor's office said around 500 people had taken part in the initial rally, while opposition groups put the number at 1,000, according to Russian news agency Interfax. At this point, police then used force against them. KHABAROVSK, Russia -- Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday across Russia's Far East city of Khabarovsk on the border with China to protest … Mr. Furgal is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, a far-right outfit that has grown increasingly restive over its Kremlin-assigned role as a decorative and largely powerless “opposition” party in Russia’s tightly controlled political system. Large demonstrations unexpectedly broke out in Russia’s Far East. The Federal Security Service soon announced that it had foiled a terrorist plot in Khabarovsk, stirring fears of a crackdown on protesters under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Protesters demanded that Furgal’s trial be moved to Khabarovsk, with one saying “we have elected him and it’s up to us to judge him.” Some questioned the timing of the arrest, pointing to Furgal’s decade-long stint as a lawmaker in the Russian parliament before running for governor, during which the murder charges never came up. Since his arrest on July 9, … In a blow to local pride, the Kremlin responded to Mr. Furgal’s election victory in 2018 over its own candidate by rejiggering bureaucratic boundaries in the Far East to give primacy to Vladivostok, Khabarovsk’s longtime rival. Defying Kremlin, Protesters Stage Biggest Rally Yet in Russian Far East. State-controlled television ignored the protests, sticking to its line that Russia is united in joyous support for Mr. Putin after a recent national plebiscite in which 78 percent of voters endorsed constitutional amendments allowing him to remain in office until 2036. The authorities even recruited the arrested governor, Mr. Furgal, in their efforts to halt the protests. I want us to be free,” Alla Sokolova, a protester in Khabarovsk, told the AP. Local media estimated the rally in the city 3,800 miles east of Moscow drew 15,000 to 50,000 people, while city authorities put the number at 10,000. Then, officials warned protesters that they risked spreading the coronavirus, and ordered that people stay away from all “illegal” gatherings for health reasons. Tens of thousands of people in the far eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk have taken part in a protest march over the arrest of a popular regional governor on murder charges.