Police in Russia’s Far East broke up a long-running anti-Kremlin protest with force on Saturday, October 10, detaining 25 people according to local authorities, in response to what they called an illegal attempt to erect protest tents in a central square. The demonstrations, in the city of Khabarovsk, have been going on for the last three months against President Vladimir Putin’s handling of a regional political crisis. Baton-wielding police wearing body armor hauled protesters away, dragging or carrying them to police vehicles. Residents of Khabarovsk, about 6,110 km (3,800 miles) east of Moscow, started holding weekly rallies after the July 9 detention of Sergei Furgal, the region’s popular governor, over murder charges he denies. The protests have highlighted anger among some in the Far East over what they see as policies emanating from detached Moscow-based authorities who have neglected them for years. (Reuters)
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