Last year, on September 21, 2014, the largest opposition protest in Moscow since President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration to a third presidential term in 2012 attracted an estimated 26,000 people. Thousands also demonstrated in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities against what they said was Russia’s covert war in eastern Ukraine. September 21 is also designated by the United Nations as International Peace Day.
The slogan of the protest, as stated by Aleksandr Ryklin of the opposition Solidarity movement, was “Putin, enough lying and making war!” Yelena Volkova, a protester in Moscow, said the Russian authorities should “stop this outrageous covert war that they don’t admit” to waging. Banners at the Moscow protest included “Putin, I’m sick of your lies,” “Don’t shoot our brothers” and “I don’t want a war with Ukraine.”
The Moscow march began at Pushkin Square and ended approximately four kilometers away, and was formally approved by city officials. Some supporters for Putin’s war in Ukraine stood along the protest route and hurled raw eggs at the demonstrators. A few minor scuffles were reported during the protest, but there were no reports of serious violence or immediate reports of arrests.
In St. Petersburg, more than 1,000 people gathered outside the Kazan Cathedral to participate in a rally that was not approved by the authorities. In Yekaterinburg, more than 100 anti-war protesters were jeered by hecklers and agitators.
In the Siberian city of Banaul, an unsanctioned demonstration rally was the scene where a local activist, Artyom Kosaretsky, was reportedly assaulted and detained by authorities after he held up a sign that read, “Siberia against war.”
In the U.S., similar anti-war demonstrations were held on the same day in San Francisco, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston and Boston.
Source: “Thousands march against war in Moscow and St. Petersburg, opposition grows to war in Ukraine,” (RFE/RL), The Ukrainian Weekly, September 28, 2014.