How Russia's President Vladimir Putin Nurtured His Personality Cult. Here's a report which explores the personality cult of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

WION Gravitas: The cult of Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin boasted on Tuesday it was winning the race to develop new cutting edge<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russians-killed-in-missile-test-blast-were-working-on-new-weapons-242543"> nuclear weapons</a> despite a mysterious rocket accident last week in northern Russia that caused a temporary spike in radiation levels.

Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency, has said that the August 8 accident occurred during a rocket test on a sea platform in the White Sea, killing at least five and injuring three more.

It has pledged to keep developing new weapons regardless, portraying the men who died in the test as heroes.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump had said on Twitter on Monday that the United States was<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-has-advanced-weapons-than-the-failed-russian-skyfall-missile-donald-trump-242558"> "learning much" from the explosion </a>which he suggested happened during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin last year.

Russia, which has said the missile will have an "unlimited range" and be able to overcome any defences, calls the missile the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel). The NATO alliance has designated it the SSC-X-9 Skyfall.

Trump said on Twitter that the United States had "similar, though more advanced, technology" and said Russians were worried about the air quality around the facility and far beyond, a situation he described as "Not good!"

But when asked about his comments on Tuesday, the Kremlin said it, not the United States, was out in front when it came to developing new nuclear weapons.

"Our president has repeatedly said that Russian engineering in this sector significantly outstrips the level that other countries have managed to reach for the moment, and it is fairly unique," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Putin used his state-of-the-nation speech in 2018 to unveil what he described as a raft of invincible new nuclear weapons, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile, an underwater nuclear-powered drone, and a laser weapon.

Tensions between Moscow and Washington over arms control have been exacerbated by the demise this month of a landmark nuclear treaty.

Russia says it is also concerned that another landmark arms control treaty will soon expire.

In a sign of how serious the situation in the accident area remains, Russian authorities have advised residents of the nearby village of Nyonoksa to leave while clear-up work is being carried out, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing local officials.

Russia's state weather service also said on Tuesday that radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk had spiked by up to 16 times last Thursday, while medics who treated victims of the accident have been sent to Moscow for a medical examination, the TASS news agency reported.

It said the medics had signed non-disclosure agreements about the nature of the accident.

The Kremlin boasted on Tuesday it was winning the race to develop new cutting edge nuclear weapons despite a mysterious rocket accident last week in northern Russia that caused a temporary spike in radiation levels.

The Kremlin boasted on Tuesday it was winning the race to develop new cutting edge nuclear weapons despite a mysterious rocket accident last week in northern Russia that caused a temporary spike in radiation levels. Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency, has said that the August 8 accident occurred during a rocket test on a sea platform in the White Sea, killing at least five and injuring three more. It has pledged to keep developing new weapons regardless, portraying the men who died in the test as heroes. US President Donald Trump had said on Twitter on Monday that the United States was "learning much" from the explosion which he suggested happened during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin last year. Russia, which has said the missile will have an "unlimited range" and be able to overcome any defences, calls the missile the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel). The NATO alliance has designated it the SSC-X-9 Skyfall. Trump said on Twitter that the United States had "similar, though more advanced, technology" and said Russians were worried about the air quality around the facility and far beyond, a situation he described as "Not good!" But when asked about his comments on Tuesday, the Kremlin said it, not the United States, was out in front when it came to developing new nuclear weapons. "Our president has repeatedly said that Russian engineering in this sector significantly outstrips the level that other countries have managed to reach for the moment, and it is fairly unique," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin used his state-of-the-nation speech in 2018 to unveil what he described as a raft of invincible new nuclear weapons, including a nuclear-powered cruise missile, an underwater nuclear-powered drone, and a laser weapon. Tensions between Moscow and Washington over arms control have been exacerbated by the demise this month of a landmark nuclear treaty. Russia says it is also concerned that another landmark arms control treaty will soon expire. In a sign of how serious the situation in the accident area remains, Russian authorities have advised residents of the nearby village of Nyonoksa to leave while clear-up work is being carried out, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday, citing local officials. Russia's state weather service also said on Tuesday that radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk had spiked by up to 16 times last Thursday, while medics who treated victims of the accident have been sent to Moscow for a medical examination, the TASS news agency reported. It said the medics had signed non-disclosure agreements about the nature of the accident.

Winning arms race against US despite rocket accident: Russia

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attended a biker show organized by the Night Wolves motorcycle club on the peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, amid vast protests in Moscow and several Russian cities on (August 10).

Putin joins bikers for a ride in Crimea

Russian opposition supporters plan a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-accuses-us-of-meddling-over-publication-of-protest-map-241738">major protest in Moscow</a> on Saturday after police detained thousands at recent demonstrations that have been among the largest since President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012.

In recent weeks, thousands have attended street protests calling for free and fair elections after the exclusion of several opposition figures, including allies of top Putin critic Alexei Navalny, from local Moscow elections next month.

Riot police and the national guard have used more violent tactics than previously and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/1400-arrested-at-moscow-election-protest-238988">detained more than 2,000 at the last two rallies</a>, which were not authorised by city officials.&nbsp;

Most opposition candidates who have been banned from participating in the vote have been jailed for violating protest laws. &nbsp;

A dozen protesters including university students face criminal charges of "mass disorder" that call for lengthy jail terms, despite their supporters insisting protests were peaceful.

Saturday's rally has been authorised which means participants should not face detention for protesting at the agreed location, but Navalny, who is currently in jail, has urged supporters to walk peacefully through the city afterwards.

Moscow police and the powerful Investigative Committee issued a warning against participating in unsanctioned protests which it said would be "immediately halted."

Showing the movement's appeal to young Russians, popular electronic and rap musicians are expected to play at the rally and mainstream celebrities have announced they will attend.

One of Russia's most famous rappers, Oxxxymiron, urged his fans to go, as did a star YouTube blogger Yury Dud.

"Let's not accept it as normal when innocent people are thrown in jail or harshly beaten up by police," Dud wrote on Instagram to his 2.3 million followers.

'Attempt to gag us'

The latest demonstrations come as the authorities this week mounted their harshest attack yet on Navalny's team, focusing on his anti-corruption foundation which publishes investigations of officials close to Putin.

On Thursday investigators raided the foundation's office as part of a probe into alleged acceptance of donations of laundered money and a court froze the foundation's accounts.

"This is the most aggressive attempt yet to gag us," Navalny wrote in a blog entry he issued through lawyers while serving a 30-day sentence.

One of the foundation's lawyers, Lyubov Sobol, has been on hunger strike for weeks after being refused as a candidate in Moscow.&nbsp;

"These are all acts of political intimidation, political repression," she told journalists on Friday, condemning the criminal cases launched against activists as "fabricated and politically motivated."

As he enters his third decade in power, Putin's approval ratings have dropped significantly in recent months and critics say authorities fear any outlet calling for wider political change.

Moscow has even accused the US of encouraging people to attend protests after the embassy posted the route of a recent march along with warnings to avoid the area.

"The repressive scenario that the authorities are relying on can probably dampen down open discontent but is hardly likely to reach the root of the problem," wrote Vedomosti daily in an editorial.

"A large section of society is not represented in power."

Russian opposition supporters plan a major protest in Moscow on Saturday after police detained thousands at recent demonstrations that have been among the largest since President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012.

Russian opposition supporters plan a major protest in Moscow on Saturday after police detained thousands at recent demonstrations that have been among the largest since President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012. In recent weeks, thousands have attended street protests calling for free and fair elections after the exclusion of several opposition figures, including allies of top Putin critic Alexei Navalny, from local Moscow elections next month. Riot police and the national guard have used more violent tactics than previously and detained more than 2,000 at the last two rallies, which were not authorised by city officials. Most opposition candidates who have been banned from participating in the vote have been jailed for violating protest laws. A dozen protesters including university students face criminal charges of "mass disorder" that call for lengthy jail terms, despite their supporters insisting protests were peaceful. Saturday's rally has been authorised which means participants should not face detention for protesting at the agreed location, but Navalny, who is currently in jail, has urged supporters to walk peacefully through the city afterwards. Moscow police and the powerful Investigative Committee issued a warning against participating in unsanctioned protests which it said would be "immediately halted." Showing the movement's appeal to young Russians, popular electronic and rap musicians are expected to play at the rally and mainstream celebrities have announced they will attend. One of Russia's most famous rappers, Oxxxymiron, urged his fans to go, as did a star YouTube blogger Yury Dud. "Let's not accept it as normal when innocent people are thrown in jail or harshly beaten up by police," Dud wrote on Instagram to his 2.3 million followers. 'Attempt to gag us' The latest demonstrations come as the authorities this week mounted their harshest attack yet on Navalny's team, focusing on his anti-corruption foundation which publishes investigations of officials close to Putin. On Thursday investigators raided the foundation's office as part of a probe into alleged acceptance of donations of laundered money and a court froze the foundation's accounts. "This is the most aggressive attempt yet to gag us," Navalny wrote in a blog entry he issued through lawyers while serving a 30-day sentence. One of the foundation's lawyers, Lyubov Sobol, has been on hunger strike for weeks after being refused as a candidate in Moscow. "These are all acts of political intimidation, political repression," she told journalists on Friday, condemning the criminal cases launched against activists as "fabricated and politically motivated." As he enters his third decade in power, Putin's approval ratings have dropped significantly in recent months and critics say authorities fear any outlet calling for wider political change. Moscow has even accused the US of encouraging people to attend protests after the embassy posted the route of a recent march along with warnings to avoid the area. "The repressive scenario that the authorities are relying on can probably dampen down open discontent but is hardly likely to reach the root of the problem," wrote Vedomosti daily in an editorial. "A large section of society is not represented in power."

Russian opposition plans major Moscow protest after crackdown

Almost 50,000 opposition supporters rallied in Moscow Saturday at <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-opposition-plans-major-moscow-protest-after-crackdown-241936">one of the largest protests </a>since President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russia-accuses-us-of-encouraging-people-to-protest-in-moscow-241853">Protesters</a> crowded the central Prospekt Andreya Sakharova street, where city authorities deployed a massive police presence, including officers in riot gear, after giving permission for the rally to go ahead.

The White Counter, an NGO that tracks participants in rallies, counted 49,900 people, while Moscow police gave a much lower attendance figure of 20,000.

In recent weeks, thousands have attended street protests calling for free and fair elections after the exclusion of several opposition figures, including allies of top Putin critic Alexei Navalny, from local Moscow polls next month.

On Saturday, some protesters carried placards with slogans such as "Give us the right to vote!" and "You've lied to us enough" while others held up pictures of activists arrested at earlier demonstrations.&nbsp;

"I'm outraged by this injustice at every level. They're not letting candidates stand who have collected all the necessary signatures. They are arresting people who are protesting peacefully," said one protester, Irina Dargolts, a 60-year-old engineer.

"It feels like the country is a prisoner and its citizens are hostages... No one represents the people," said Dmitry Khobbotovsky, an activist for the Open Russia movement funded by Kremlin foe and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Showing the movement's appeal to young Russians, one of the country's most famous rappers, Oxxxymiron, attended the rally and another popular rapper Face performed on stage.

"I'm performing here today so that my people have freedom and the right to choose," said Face, 22, known for his facial tattoos.

Riot police and the national guard detained more than 2,000 at the previous two rallies, which were not authorised by city officials, and a dozen protesters face criminal charges of "mass disorder".

Most opposition candidates who have been banned from participating in the vote have also now been jailed for violating protest laws. &nbsp;

One of the rally speakers was the wife of opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov, who is serving a 30-day sentence.

"Each of us has the right to run for office and they are very afraid of that," said Valeriya Gudkova.&nbsp;

"We have real support from the public and they just have criminals in their electoral commissions."&nbsp;

While Saturday's rally was authorised, Navalny, who is currently in jail, urged supporters to walk peacefully through the city afterwards, when they would risk detention for illegal protests.

One of Navalny's associates, Boris Zolotarevsky, at the end of the rally urged protesters to go to Putin's presidential administration offices in central Moscow. He was detained by police shortly afterwards.

Moscow police and the powerful Investigative Committee issued a warning ahead of the rally saying unsanctioned protests would be "immediately halted."

Eight people were detained in Moscow at Saturday's demonstration, while 51 were detained at protests in Russia's second largest city of Saint Petersburg, according to OVD-Info, an NGO that monitors protests.

- 'Attempt to gag us' -

As he enters his third decade in power, Putin's approval ratings have dropped significantly and critics say the authorities fear any outlet calling for wider political change.

The latest demonstration came this week as authorities mounted their harshest attack yet on Navalny's team, focusing on his anti-corruption foundation which publishes investigations of officials close to Putin.

One of the foundation's lawyers, Lyubov Sobol, was detained Saturday morning at her campaign office by police in riot gear, she wrote on social media.&nbsp;

Riot police also raided the studio where Navalny's supporters were set to run a live broadcast of the protest, activists said.

On Thursday, investigators raided the foundation's office as part of a probe into alleged acceptance of donations of laundered money and a court froze the foundation's accounts.

"This is the most aggressive attempt yet to gag us," Navalny wrote in a blog entry he issued through lawyers while serving a 30-day sentence. 
&nbsp;

Almost 50,000 opposition supporters rallied in Moscow Saturday at one of the largest protests since President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012. Protesters crowded the central Prospekt Andreya Sakharova street, where city authorities deployed a massive police presence, including officers in riot gear, after giving permission for the rally to go ahead.

Almost 50,000 opposition supporters rallied in Moscow Saturday at one of the largest protests since President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012. Protesters crowded the central Prospekt Andreya Sakharova street, where city authorities deployed a massive police presence, including officers in riot gear, after giving permission for the rally to go ahead. The White Counter, an NGO that tracks participants in rallies, counted 49,900 people, while Moscow police gave a much lower attendance figure of 20,000. In recent weeks, thousands have attended street protests calling for free and fair elections after the exclusion of several opposition figures, including allies of top Putin critic Alexei Navalny, from local Moscow polls next month. On Saturday, some protesters carried placards with slogans such as "Give us the right to vote!" and "You've lied to us enough" while others held up pictures of activists arrested at earlier demonstrations. "I'm outraged by this injustice at every level. They're not letting candidates stand who have collected all the necessary signatures. They are arresting people who are protesting peacefully," said one protester, Irina Dargolts, a 60-year-old engineer. "It feels like the country is a prisoner and its citizens are hostages... No one represents the people," said Dmitry Khobbotovsky, an activist for the Open Russia movement funded by Kremlin foe and former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Showing the movement's appeal to young Russians, one of the country's most famous rappers, Oxxxymiron, attended the rally and another popular rapper Face performed on stage. "I'm performing here today so that my people have freedom and the right to choose," said Face, 22, known for his facial tattoos. Riot police and the national guard detained more than 2,000 at the previous two rallies, which were not authorised by city officials, and a dozen protesters face criminal charges of "mass disorder". Most opposition candidates who have been banned from participating in the vote have also now been jailed for violating protest laws. One of the rally speakers was the wife of opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov, who is serving a 30-day sentence. "Each of us has the right to run for office and they are very afraid of that," said Valeriya Gudkova. "We have real support from the public and they just have criminals in their electoral commissions." While Saturday's rally was authorised, Navalny, who is currently in jail, urged supporters to walk peacefully through the city afterwards, when they would risk detention for illegal protests. One of Navalny's associates, Boris Zolotarevsky, at the end of the rally urged protesters to go to Putin's presidential administration offices in central Moscow. He was detained by police shortly afterwards. Moscow police and the powerful Investigative Committee issued a warning ahead of the rally saying unsanctioned protests would be "immediately halted." Eight people were detained in Moscow at Saturday's demonstration, while 51 were detained at protests in Russia's second largest city of Saint Petersburg, according to OVD-Info, an NGO that monitors protests. - 'Attempt to gag us' - As he enters his third decade in power, Putin's approval ratings have dropped significantly and critics say the authorities fear any outlet calling for wider political change. The latest demonstration came this week as authorities mounted their harshest attack yet on Navalny's team, focusing on his anti-corruption foundation which publishes investigations of officials close to Putin. One of the foundation's lawyers, Lyubov Sobol, was detained Saturday morning at her campaign office by police in riot gear, she wrote on social media. Riot police also raided the studio where Navalny's supporters were set to run a live broadcast of the protest, activists said. On Thursday, investigators raided the foundation's office as part of a probe into alleged acceptance of donations of laundered money and a court froze the foundation's accounts. "This is the most aggressive attempt yet to gag us," Navalny wrote in a blog entry he issued through lawyers while serving a 30-day sentence.

Tens of thousands call for fair elections at Moscow rally

Russian Opposition protests against Vladimir Putin's grip on power. Russian police detained 381 people in central Moscow during an unauthorized opposition protest on August 3, local news agency Fontanka reported. About 1,000 people were detained last week in Russia. Watch this video to know more.

Russia protests: Moscow erupts in demonstration again

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/police-detain-dozens-at-moscow-opposition-protest-240467">Russian police forcibly detained</a> over 800 people attending a protest in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections, including <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-police-detain-prominent-opposition-activist-before-protest-240446">prominent activist Lyubov Sobol</a>, after authorities warned the demonstration was illegal.

Police removed Sobol from a taxi and bundled her into a van minutes before the start of what anti-Kremlin activists described as a peaceful walk to protest against the exclusion of their candidates from an election next month.

Soon after the start of the protest, a Reuters reporter saw several hundred people milling around at one of the designated protest points in central Moscow. Minutes later, a line of riot police began to squeeze people out of the area.

OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police had detained 828 people, in some cases beating them with truncheons as they lay on the floor. Reuters reporters witnessed dozens of arrests. In one case police carried off a man as he clung upside down to his bicycle.

Police said they had detained 600 and said 1,500 had attended the protest, though footage of demonstrations which flared in different parts of Moscow suggested many more had taken part.

Saturday's protest was smaller than one a week earlier but underlined the determination of some Kremlin critics -- especially younger people -- to keep pressing to open up Russia's tightly-choreographed political system.

The focus of protesters' anger is a prohibition on a number of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow's city legislature.

That vote, though local, is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021.

Authorities say opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register. The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win.

"They (the authorities) are wiping their feet on us," said Elena, a student attending Saturday's protest.

Another attendee, Yevgeny Snetkov, a 61-year-old engineer, described as brazen the way the authorities had prevented opposition candidates from running. "I had no option left but to protest," he said.

Some protesters chanted "Putin is a thief" as they marched.

International condemnation

Observers said the police presence was one of the biggest at such a protest in nearly a decade. Mobile internet access was cut in some areas and police cordoned off swathes of central Moscow to stop people gathering.

At a similar protest a week earlier, police detained more than 1,300 in one of the biggest security operations of recent years that brought wide international condemnation.

Authorities carried out a new round of detentions and home searches before Saturday's protest and opened criminal proceedings for what they term mass civil unrest, an offence which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail.

Activists say the Russian constitution allows them to freely protest. But authorities say they need to agree the timing and location of any demonstrations in advance, something that was not done ahead of Saturday's protest.

Opposition activists say the authorities have repeatedly refused to allow protests in central Moscow, leaving them with no choice but to go ahead anyway.

At least eight of Sobol's allies, including Navalny, are in jail for breaking tough protest laws. The ruling United Russia dominates the national parliament and Navalny plus his allies are starved of media air-time.

Russian investigators said on Saturday they had opened a criminal investigation into the alleged laundering of 1 billion roubles ($15.3 million) by an anti-corruption foundation which Navalny set up. Navalny and his allies say the foundation is transparently financed from public donations.

President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have not commented on the standoff with the opposition, but Moscow prosecutors on Friday warned would-be protesters that Saturday's demonstration had not been approved and its organisers could be brought to account.

At well over 60 per cent, Putin's approval rating is still high compared with many other world leaders, but is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes.

Last year the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

Russian police forcibly detained over 800 people attending a protest in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections, including prominent activist Lyubov Sobol, after authorities warned the demonstration was illegal.

Russian police forcibly detained over 800 people attending a protest in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections, including prominent activist Lyubov Sobol, after authorities warned the demonstration was illegal. Police removed Sobol from a taxi and bundled her into a van minutes before the start of what anti-Kremlin activists described as a peaceful walk to protest against the exclusion of their candidates from an election next month. Soon after the start of the protest, a Reuters reporter saw several hundred people milling around at one of the designated protest points in central Moscow. Minutes later, a line of riot police began to squeeze people out of the area. OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police had detained 828 people, in some cases beating them with truncheons as they lay on the floor. Reuters reporters witnessed dozens of arrests. In one case police carried off a man as he clung upside down to his bicycle. Police said they had detained 600 and said 1,500 had attended the protest, though footage of demonstrations which flared in different parts of Moscow suggested many more had taken part. Saturday's protest was smaller than one a week earlier but underlined the determination of some Kremlin critics -- especially younger people -- to keep pressing to open up Russia's tightly-choreographed political system. The focus of protesters' anger is a prohibition on a number of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow's city legislature. That vote, though local, is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021. Authorities say opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register. The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win. "They (the authorities) are wiping their feet on us," said Elena, a student attending Saturday's protest. Another attendee, Yevgeny Snetkov, a 61-year-old engineer, described as brazen the way the authorities had prevented opposition candidates from running. "I had no option left but to protest," he said. Some protesters chanted "Putin is a thief" as they marched. International condemnation Observers said the police presence was one of the biggest at such a protest in nearly a decade. Mobile internet access was cut in some areas and police cordoned off swathes of central Moscow to stop people gathering. At a similar protest a week earlier, police detained more than 1,300 in one of the biggest security operations of recent years that brought wide international condemnation. Authorities carried out a new round of detentions and home searches before Saturday's protest and opened criminal proceedings for what they term mass civil unrest, an offence which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail. Activists say the Russian constitution allows them to freely protest. But authorities say they need to agree the timing and location of any demonstrations in advance, something that was not done ahead of Saturday's protest. Opposition activists say the authorities have repeatedly refused to allow protests in central Moscow, leaving them with no choice but to go ahead anyway. At least eight of Sobol's allies, including Navalny, are in jail for breaking tough protest laws. The ruling United Russia dominates the national parliament and Navalny plus his allies are starved of media air-time. Russian investigators said on Saturday they had opened a criminal investigation into the alleged laundering of 1 billion roubles ($15.3 million) by an anti-corruption foundation which Navalny set up. Navalny and his allies say the foundation is transparently financed from public donations. President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have not commented on the standoff with the opposition, but Moscow prosecutors on Friday warned would-be protesters that Saturday's demonstration had not been approved and its organisers could be brought to account. At well over 60 per cent, Putin's approval rating is still high compared with many other world leaders, but is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes. Last year the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

Russian police detain over 800 in opposition crackdown in Moscow

Russian police forcibly detained nearly 700 people attending a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-police-detain-prominent-opposition-activist-before-protest-240446">protest in Moscow</a> on Saturday to demand free elections, including prominent activist Lyubov Sobol, after authorities warned the demonstration was illegal.

Police removed Sobol from a taxi and bundled her into a van minutes before the start of what anti-Kremlin activists described as a peaceful walk to protest against the exclusion of their candidates from an election next month.

Soon after the start of the protest, a Reuters reporter saw several hundred people milling around at one of the designated protest points in central Moscow. Minutes later, a line of riot police began to squeeze people out of the area.

OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police had detained 685 people, in some cases beating them with truncheons as they lay on the floor. Reuters reporters witnessed dozens of arrests. In one case police carried off a man as he clung upside down to his bicycle.

Police said they had detained 600 and said 1,500 had attended the protest, though footage of demonstrations which flared in different parts of Moscow suggested many more had taken part.

Saturday's protest was smaller than one a week earlier but underlined the determination of some Kremlin critics -- especially younger people -- to keep pressing to open up Russia's tightly-choreographed political system.

The focus of protesters' anger is a prohibition on a number of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-launches-probe-against-kremlin-critic-alexei-navalnys-anti-graft-group-240459">jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny</a>, from taking part in a September election for Moscow's city legislature.

That vote, though local, is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021.

Authorities say opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register. The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win.

"They (the authorities) are wiping their feet on us," said Elena, a student attending Saturday's protest.

Another attendee, Yevgeny Snetkov, a 61-year-old engineer, described as brazen the way the authorities had prevented opposition candidates from running. "I had no option left but to protest," he said.

Some protesters chanted "Putin is a thief" as they marched.

International condemnation

Observers said the police presence was one of the biggest at such a protest in nearly a decade. Mobile internet access went down in some areas and police cordoned off swathes of central Moscow to stop people gathering.

At a similar protest a week earlier, police detained more than 1,300 in one of the biggest security operations of recent years that brought wide international condemnation.

Authorities carried out a new round of detentions and home searches before Saturday's protest and opened criminal proceedings for what they term mass civil unrest, an offence which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail.

Activists say the Russian constitution allows them to freely protest. But authorities say they need to agree the timing and location of any demonstrations in advance, something that was not done ahead of Saturday's protest.

Opposition activists say the authorities have repeatedly refused to allow protests in central Moscow, leaving them with no choice but to go ahead anyway.

At least eight of Sobol's allies, including Navalny, are in jail for breaking tough protest laws. The ruling United Russia dominates the national parliament and Navalny plus his allies are starved of media air-time.

Russian investigators said on Saturday they had opened a criminal investigation into the alleged laundering of 1 billion roubles ($15.3 million) by an anti-corruption foundation which Navalny set up. Navalny and his allies say the foundation is transparently financed from public donations.

President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have not commented on the standoff with the opposition, but Moscow prosecutors on Friday warned would-be protesters that Saturday's demonstration had not been approved and its organisers could be brought to account.

At well over 60 percent, Putin's approval rating is still high compared with many other world leaders, but is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes.

Last year the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

Russian police forcibly detained nearly 700 people attending a protest in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections, including prominent activist Lyubov Sobol, after authorities warned the demonstration was illegal.

Russian police forcibly detained nearly 700 people attending a protest in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections, including prominent activist Lyubov Sobol, after authorities warned the demonstration was illegal. Police removed Sobol from a taxi and bundled her into a van minutes before the start of what anti-Kremlin activists described as a peaceful walk to protest against the exclusion of their candidates from an election next month. Soon after the start of the protest, a Reuters reporter saw several hundred people milling around at one of the designated protest points in central Moscow. Minutes later, a line of riot police began to squeeze people out of the area. OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police had detained 685 people, in some cases beating them with truncheons as they lay on the floor. Reuters reporters witnessed dozens of arrests. In one case police carried off a man as he clung upside down to his bicycle. Police said they had detained 600 and said 1,500 had attended the protest, though footage of demonstrations which flared in different parts of Moscow suggested many more had taken part. Saturday's protest was smaller than one a week earlier but underlined the determination of some Kremlin critics -- especially younger people -- to keep pressing to open up Russia's tightly-choreographed political system. The focus of protesters' anger is a prohibition on a number of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow's city legislature. That vote, though local, is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021. Authorities say opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register. The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win. "They (the authorities) are wiping their feet on us," said Elena, a student attending Saturday's protest. Another attendee, Yevgeny Snetkov, a 61-year-old engineer, described as brazen the way the authorities had prevented opposition candidates from running. "I had no option left but to protest," he said. Some protesters chanted "Putin is a thief" as they marched. International condemnation Observers said the police presence was one of the biggest at such a protest in nearly a decade. Mobile internet access went down in some areas and police cordoned off swathes of central Moscow to stop people gathering. At a similar protest a week earlier, police detained more than 1,300 in one of the biggest security operations of recent years that brought wide international condemnation. Authorities carried out a new round of detentions and home searches before Saturday's protest and opened criminal proceedings for what they term mass civil unrest, an offence which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail. Activists say the Russian constitution allows them to freely protest. But authorities say they need to agree the timing and location of any demonstrations in advance, something that was not done ahead of Saturday's protest. Opposition activists say the authorities have repeatedly refused to allow protests in central Moscow, leaving them with no choice but to go ahead anyway. At least eight of Sobol's allies, including Navalny, are in jail for breaking tough protest laws. The ruling United Russia dominates the national parliament and Navalny plus his allies are starved of media air-time. Russian investigators said on Saturday they had opened a criminal investigation into the alleged laundering of 1 billion roubles ($15.3 million) by an anti-corruption foundation which Navalny set up. Navalny and his allies say the foundation is transparently financed from public donations. President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have not commented on the standoff with the opposition, but Moscow prosecutors on Friday warned would-be protesters that Saturday's demonstration had not been approved and its organisers could be brought to account. At well over 60 percent, Putin's approval rating is still high compared with many other world leaders, but is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes. Last year the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

Russian police detain nearly 700 in opposition crackdown in Moscow

Thousands of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-was-putins-political-rival-poisoned-239314">Russian opposition protesters</a> were expected to try and rally again in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections despite a sweeping police crackdown and ban on the event.

At a similar protest a week earlier, police detained more than 1,000 people, sometimes violently, in one of the biggest security operations of recent years that brought widespread international condemnation.

A Moscow court said on Friday that 88 people had been taken into custody for taking part in last weekend`s protest, another 332 fined, and that more than 1,000 charge sheets had been drawn up. Many of the anti-Kremlin opposition`s leading figures, including Alexei Navalny, are now behind bars.&nbsp;

Authorities carried out a new round of detentions and home searches after the last protest and opened criminal proceedings for what they term mass civil unrest, an offence which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail.

The focus of protesters` anger is a prohibition on a slew of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow`s city legislature.

That vote, though local, is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021.

Authorities say the opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register.

The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win.

Government's rating down

The ruling United Russia party`s rating is at its lowest since 2011 and President Vladimir Putin`s own rating has fallen due to discontent over falling living standards.

Lyubov Sobol, one of the excluded candidates, told Reuters demonstrations would continue until the authorities backed down.

"It won`t be solved until they understand that people are demanding political representation that takes account of their own opinion and will, that these people are not going away," said Sobol, who is on a hunger strike.

At least of eight of Sobol`s allies, including Navalny, are in jail for breaking tough protest laws. United Russia dominates the national parliament, and Navalny plus his allies are starved of media air-time.&nbsp;

Putin and the Kremlin have not commented on the standoff, but Moscow prosecutors on Friday warned would-be protesters that the demonstration had not been approved and that its organisers could be brought to account.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin ally, has told the opposition he will not allow their protest movement to plunge the Russian capital into anarchy.&nbsp;

The planned protest underlines the determination of Kremlin critics - especially younger people - to keep pressing to open Russia`s tightly-choreographed political system to competition.

At well over 60 per cent, Putin`s approval rating is still high compared to many other world leaders, but lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes.&nbsp;

Last year, the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.&nbsp;

Thousands of Russian opposition protesters were expected to try and rally again in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections despite a sweeping police crackdown and ban on the event.

Thousands of Russian opposition protesters were expected to try and rally again in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections despite a sweeping police crackdown and ban on the event. At a similar protest a week earlier, police detained more than 1,000 people, sometimes violently, in one of the biggest security operations of recent years that brought widespread international condemnation. A Moscow court said on Friday that 88 people had been taken into custody for taking part in last weekend`s protest, another 332 fined, and that more than 1,000 charge sheets had been drawn up. Many of the anti-Kremlin opposition`s leading figures, including Alexei Navalny, are now behind bars. Authorities carried out a new round of detentions and home searches after the last protest and opened criminal proceedings for what they term mass civil unrest, an offence which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail. The focus of protesters` anger is a prohibition on a slew of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow`s city legislature. That vote, though local, is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021. Authorities say the opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register. The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win. Government's rating down The ruling United Russia party`s rating is at its lowest since 2011 and President Vladimir Putin`s own rating has fallen due to discontent over falling living standards. Lyubov Sobol, one of the excluded candidates, told Reuters demonstrations would continue until the authorities backed down. "It won`t be solved until they understand that people are demanding political representation that takes account of their own opinion and will, that these people are not going away," said Sobol, who is on a hunger strike. At least of eight of Sobol`s allies, including Navalny, are in jail for breaking tough protest laws. United Russia dominates the national parliament, and Navalny plus his allies are starved of media air-time. Putin and the Kremlin have not commented on the standoff, but Moscow prosecutors on Friday warned would-be protesters that the demonstration had not been approved and that its organisers could be brought to account. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin ally, has told the opposition he will not allow their protest movement to plunge the Russian capital into anarchy. The planned protest underlines the determination of Kremlin critics - especially younger people - to keep pressing to open Russia`s tightly-choreographed political system to competition. At well over 60 per cent, Putin`s approval rating is still high compared to many other world leaders, but lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes. Last year, the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

Russian opposition plans new election protest despite crackdown

Russian police on Saturday detained prominent opposition activist Lyubov Sobol ahead of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-opposition-plans-new-election-protest-despite-crackdown-240340">planned protest in Moscow</a> to demand free elections.

Thousands of Russian opposition protesters are expected to try and rally again in Moscow on Saturday despite a sweeping police crackdown and ban on the event.

Sobol had called on people to attend the demonstration, which authorities in Moscow had refused to sanction.

Sobol, who is on hunger strike, was detained in a taxi as she tried to make her way to the protest and driven off in a police van.

The unauthorised march along Moscow's leafy boulevards will be the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections.

The local issue has boiled over into one of the worst political conflicts of recent years, with rallies of up to 22,000 people and police violence against demonstrators.

More than 6,000 people said on Facebook they would take part in the march along Moscow's so-called Boulevard Ring on Saturday to "bring back the right to elections".

Authorities installed barriers along the route ahead of the protest.

Candidates needed to collect signatures from city residents to stand in the polls but officials said they were disqualified because some names were forged.

But candidates, including allies of top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, insist their signatures were thrown out arbitrarily, and the whole vetting process was skewed against them.

Many Muscovites said their signatures in support of opposition candidates were declared invalid for no reason.

President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the situation in Moscow.

Russian police on Saturday detained prominent opposition activist Lyubov Sobol ahead of a planned protest in Moscow to demand free elections. Thousands of Russian opposition protesters are expected to try and rally again in Moscow on Saturday despite a sweeping police crackdown and ban on the event.

Russian police on Saturday detained prominent opposition activist Lyubov Sobol ahead of a planned protest in Moscow to demand free elections. Thousands of Russian opposition protesters are expected to try and rally again in Moscow on Saturday despite a sweeping police crackdown and ban on the event. Sobol had called on people to attend the demonstration, which authorities in Moscow had refused to sanction. Sobol, who is on hunger strike, was detained in a taxi as she tried to make her way to the protest and driven off in a police van. The unauthorised march along Moscow's leafy boulevards will be the latest in a series of demonstrations after officials refused to let popular opposition candidates run in next month's city parliament elections. The local issue has boiled over into one of the worst political conflicts of recent years, with rallies of up to 22,000 people and police violence against demonstrators. More than 6,000 people said on Facebook they would take part in the march along Moscow's so-called Boulevard Ring on Saturday to "bring back the right to elections". Authorities installed barriers along the route ahead of the protest. Candidates needed to collect signatures from city residents to stand in the polls but officials said they were disqualified because some names were forged. But candidates, including allies of top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, insist their signatures were thrown out arbitrarily, and the whole vetting process was skewed against them. Many Muscovites said their signatures in support of opposition candidates were declared invalid for no reason. President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment on the situation in Moscow.

Russian police detain prominent opposition activist before protest

Russian Opposition protests against Vladimir Putin's grip on power. Watch this video to know more.

Protest heats in Moscow against Putin's grip on power

US President Donald Trump has imposed another round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, the White House said on Friday, a move Moscow said would hurt already strained US-Russia ties.

The move came hours before a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-formally-withdraws-from-1987-nuclear-pact-with-russia-mike-pompeo-240169">landmark Cold War-era arms control treaty expired</a>, after Washington withdrew, accusing Moscow of violating it, which Russia denies.

Washington imposed an initial batch of sanctions last year on Russia after determining that Moscow had used a nerve agent against a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia, in Britain, which Moscow denies.

“After the first round of sanctions in response to Russia’s assassination attempt against a private citizen in the UK, Russia did not provide the assurances required under US&nbsp;law," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley.

"So we are imposing a second round of sanctions. It’s another instance where we’re proving tougher on Russia than previous administrations.”

Skripal, a former colonel in Russia’s GRU military intelligence service, and his daughter were found slumped on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March last year after Novichok nerve agent was smeared on his front door.

A woman who lives nearby later died after her partner found the poison in a discarded perfume bottle and brought it home.

European countries and the United States expelled 100 Russian diplomats after the attack. London has charged two Russian men in absentia. The men appeared on Russian TV saying they had visited Salisbury as tourists.

The White House said on Friday that President Trump had signed an executive order, under which the US&nbsp;government would block international financial institutions such as the World Bank from lending to governments subject to US&nbsp;sanctions for using chemical or nuclear weapons.

The Russian rouble dipped to 65 versus the dollar on Friday for the first time in seven weeks, a fall analysts said could partly be attributed to the reported sanctions move.

"I think that this is primarily connected to US&nbsp;domestic politics," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RT TV channel.

Ryabkov said he regretted that US-Russia ties, already strained by differences over everything from Syria to Ukraine, had become a political football in the United States.

Russian officials have repeatedly complained about what they say is Trump's lack of room for manoeuvre, due to pressure on him from Congress and political rivals to look tough in the wake of accusations Moscow helped him win election in 2016.

Former US&nbsp;special prosecutor Robert Mueller indicted dozens of Russians for what his office called a state-run plot to influence the election to help Trump win. Moscow has denied the accusations. Trump calls the investigation a witch hunt.

Ryabkov said Moscow linked the sanctions to upcoming presidential elections in the United States and said Moscow was ready to defend itself from any negative consequences caused by the new restrictions.

US President Donald Trump has imposed another round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, the White House said on Friday, a move Moscow said would hurt already strained US-Russia ties.

US President Donald Trump has imposed another round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, the White House said on Friday, a move Moscow said would hurt already strained US-Russia ties. The move came hours before a landmark Cold War-era arms control treaty expired, after Washington withdrew, accusing Moscow of violating it, which Russia denies. Washington imposed an initial batch of sanctions last year on Russia after determining that Moscow had used a nerve agent against a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia, in Britain, which Moscow denies. “After the first round of sanctions in response to Russia’s assassination attempt against a private citizen in the UK, Russia did not provide the assurances required under US law," said White House spokesman Hogan Gidley. "So we are imposing a second round of sanctions. It’s another instance where we’re proving tougher on Russia than previous administrations.” Skripal, a former colonel in Russia’s GRU military intelligence service, and his daughter were found slumped on a bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March last year after Novichok nerve agent was smeared on his front door. A woman who lives nearby later died after her partner found the poison in a discarded perfume bottle and brought it home. European countries and the United States expelled 100 Russian diplomats after the attack. London has charged two Russian men in absentia. The men appeared on Russian TV saying they had visited Salisbury as tourists. The White House said on Friday that President Trump had signed an executive order, under which the US government would block international financial institutions such as the World Bank from lending to governments subject to US sanctions for using chemical or nuclear weapons. The Russian rouble dipped to 65 versus the dollar on Friday for the first time in seven weeks, a fall analysts said could partly be attributed to the reported sanctions move. "I think that this is primarily connected to US domestic politics," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the RT TV channel. Ryabkov said he regretted that US-Russia ties, already strained by differences over everything from Syria to Ukraine, had become a political football in the United States. Russian officials have repeatedly complained about what they say is Trump's lack of room for manoeuvre, due to pressure on him from Congress and political rivals to look tough in the wake of accusations Moscow helped him win election in 2016. Former US special prosecutor Robert Mueller indicted dozens of Russians for what his office called a state-run plot to influence the election to help Trump win. Moscow has denied the accusations. Trump calls the investigation a witch hunt. Ryabkov said Moscow linked the sanctions to upcoming presidential elections in the United States and said Moscow was ready to defend itself from any negative consequences caused by the new restrictions.

US imposes new sanctions on Russia over Skripal poisoning

Russian economic growth will hover around 1.8 per cent for the next several years unless Moscow enacts structural reforms, the International Monetary Fund said Friday.

While spending on public infrastructure and a deeply unpopular pension reform could boost business activity, "absent deeper structural reforms, long-run growth is projected to settle around 1.8 per cent," an IMF statement said.

President Vladimir Putin last year launched 12 "national projects" to modernise the economy and improve Russians' quality of life.

But economic activity has nonetheless stalled this year.

The IMF predicts the growth of 1.2 per cent in 2019.

The World Bank last month gave the same figure, revised lower from a previous 1.8 per cent.

The national projects include programmes in healthcare, housing, the digital economy, environment, and others that should be carried out over five years starting from 2019, to the cost of $400 billion.

More than a quarter of that is to be funded by investors.

The IMF said these projects "have the potential to stimulate activity" but only if implemented effectively and combined with other reforms.

"Ambitious structural reforms will be important to raise growth," the IMF said, stressing the need for Moscow to create a "vibrant private sector."

Russian economic growth will hover around 1.8 per cent for the next several years unless Moscow enacts structural reforms, the International Monetary Fund said Friday.

Russian economic growth will hover around 1.8 per cent for the next several years unless Moscow enacts structural reforms, the International Monetary Fund said Friday. While spending on public infrastructure and a deeply unpopular pension reform could boost business activity, "absent deeper structural reforms, long-run growth is projected to settle around 1.8 per cent," an IMF statement said. President Vladimir Putin last year launched 12 "national projects" to modernise the economy and improve Russians' quality of life. But economic activity has nonetheless stalled this year. The IMF predicts the growth of 1.2 per cent in 2019. The World Bank last month gave the same figure, revised lower from a previous 1.8 per cent. The national projects include programmes in healthcare, housing, the digital economy, environment, and others that should be carried out over five years starting from 2019, to the cost of $400 billion. More than a quarter of that is to be funded by investors. The IMF said these projects "have the potential to stimulate activity" but only if implemented effectively and combined with other reforms. "Ambitious structural reforms will be important to raise growth," the IMF said, stressing the need for Moscow to create a "vibrant private sector."

Absent reforms, Russian growth eyed at 1.8%: International Monetary Fund

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Friday visited one of a chain of far-eastern islands claimed by Japan, sparking a protest from Tokyo.

Paying a visit to Russia's Sakhalin Island, Medvedev also went to Iturup, one of the four islands contested by Japan, where it is known as Etorofu.

"This is our land," Medvedev told reporters during the trip which included visits to a fish-processing plant and hot springs.

"These islands are part of the Sakhalin region," he said in televised remarks, reiterating Russia's traditional stance.

"What grounds can there be for our concern?" he said, referring to Japan's protests.

The Japanese foreign ministry said Medvedev's decision to visit the island was "extremely regrettable."

"Even now, more than 70 years after the war, territorial issues have not been solved with the Soviet Union/Russia and intensive peace treaty negotiations have been underway," the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

"We will strongly urge Russia to constructively deal with issues such as the signing of a peace treaty to move forward the future Japan-Russia relationship."

Medvedev said that the more Japan protested the more reasons Russian officials had to visit the islands known in Russia as the Kurils and the Northern Territories in Japan.

The Kurils, which lie north of Japan's Hokkaido island, have been controlled by Moscow since they were seized by Soviet troops in the dying days of World War II.

Last year, President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russia and Japan sign a peace treaty, ending World War II hostilities "without any preconditions".

Both countries have made little progress on the issue in recent months, however.

Medvedev travelled to the Kuril island of Kunashir as president in 2010, becoming the first Russian leader to visit the disputed islands and provoking fury in Tokyo.&nbsp;

He has also visited the islands several times as prime minister.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Friday visited one of a chain of far-eastern islands claimed by Japan, sparking a protest from Tokyo. Paying a visit to Russia's Sakhalin Island, Medvedev also went to Iturup, one of the four islands contested by Japan, where it is known as Etorofu.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Friday visited one of a chain of far-eastern islands claimed by Japan, sparking a protest from Tokyo. Paying a visit to Russia's Sakhalin Island, Medvedev also went to Iturup, one of the four islands contested by Japan, where it is known as Etorofu. "This is our land," Medvedev told reporters during the trip which included visits to a fish-processing plant and hot springs. "These islands are part of the Sakhalin region," he said in televised remarks, reiterating Russia's traditional stance. "What grounds can there be for our concern?" he said, referring to Japan's protests. The Japanese foreign ministry said Medvedev's decision to visit the island was "extremely regrettable." "Even now, more than 70 years after the war, territorial issues have not been solved with the Soviet Union/Russia and intensive peace treaty negotiations have been underway," the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement. "We will strongly urge Russia to constructively deal with issues such as the signing of a peace treaty to move forward the future Japan-Russia relationship." Medvedev said that the more Japan protested the more reasons Russian officials had to visit the islands known in Russia as the Kurils and the Northern Territories in Japan. The Kurils, which lie north of Japan's Hokkaido island, have been controlled by Moscow since they were seized by Soviet troops in the dying days of World War II. Last year, President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russia and Japan sign a peace treaty, ending World War II hostilities "without any preconditions". Both countries have made little progress on the issue in recent months, however. Medvedev travelled to the Kuril island of Kunashir as president in 2010, becoming the first Russian leader to visit the disputed islands and provoking fury in Tokyo. He has also visited the islands several times as prime minister.

Russia PM Dmitry Medvedev visits disputed island; sparks protest from Japan

Russian investigators on Tuesday launched a probe into "mass unrest", a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison after thousands took to the streets at the weekend to demand fair elections.

Nearly 1,400 people were arrested on Saturday at an unauthorised protest in central Moscow that was broken up by baton-wielding riot police, as anger grows against authorities' refusal to allow prominent opposition candidates to stand for the city parliament.

The crackdown was the largest of its kind since 2012 when tens of thousands of people came out to protest Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency after four years as prime minister.

Federal investigators said their probe would target not just the organisers of the weekend rally but also participants. The investigation will also look into violence against police and other officials, they said in a statement.

The probe is part of a wider move by authorities to quell the protest movement, which comes amid growing public frustration over declining living standards and a fall in Putin's approval ratings.

Opposition leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/alexei-navalny-the-lawyer-standing-up-to-vladimir-putin-239518">Alexei Navalny</a> is serving a 30-day jail term for calling on people to attend the weekend demonstration.&nbsp;

On Sunday, the 43-year-old was taken from his prison cell to hospital after what was initially reported as a severe allergic reaction but his lawyer Olga Mikhailova said was a poisoning by an unknown chemical substance.

Navalny's doctor Anastasia Vasilyeva criticised authorities' decision to return him to prison following treatment, and complained on Tuesday she was not allowed to visit him in jail.

A number of other opposition figures, who applied to stand in the September elections but were rejected, have been jailed since the rally.&nbsp;

Opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov was on Tuesday sentenced to a month over an earlier unauthorised protest, while would-be candidate Ilya Yashin was jailed for 20 days in two separate sentencings.

The director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, Ivan Zhdanov, was on Monday jailed for 15 days, and independent politician Yulia Galyamina sentenced to 10 days on Tuesday.

'Obliged to use force'

Earlier Tuesday, a senior representative of the Russian prosecutor general's office called for a "severe" response to any further unauthorised rallies.

The opposition has however already called for a new unsanctioned protest on Saturday, and more than 13,000 people have indicated an interest on Facebook.&nbsp;

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a top Putin ally, accused organisers of preparing a "fresh provocation".&nbsp;

In a TV interview, he defended the response of police, who he said were "obliged to use force" during the weekend demonstration.

The West has condemned the actions of the Russian police, who used batons on demonstrators on Saturday. AFP journalists at the scene saw protesters with injuries.

Elections to Moscow's 45-seat legislative body, currently controlled by the ruling party United Russia, are to be held on September 8.

Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over Putin's two decades in power.

Russian investigators on Tuesday launched a probe into "mass unrest", a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison after thousands took to the streets at the weekend to demand fair elections.

Russian investigators on Tuesday launched a probe into "mass unrest", a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison after thousands took to the streets at the weekend to demand fair elections. Nearly 1,400 people were arrested on Saturday at an unauthorised protest in central Moscow that was broken up by baton-wielding riot police, as anger grows against authorities' refusal to allow prominent opposition candidates to stand for the city parliament. The crackdown was the largest of its kind since 2012 when tens of thousands of people came out to protest Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency after four years as prime minister. Federal investigators said their probe would target not just the organisers of the weekend rally but also participants. The investigation will also look into violence against police and other officials, they said in a statement. The probe is part of a wider move by authorities to quell the protest movement, which comes amid growing public frustration over declining living standards and a fall in Putin's approval ratings. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny is serving a 30-day jail term for calling on people to attend the weekend demonstration. On Sunday, the 43-year-old was taken from his prison cell to hospital after what was initially reported as a severe allergic reaction but his lawyer Olga Mikhailova said was a poisoning by an unknown chemical substance. Navalny's doctor Anastasia Vasilyeva criticised authorities' decision to return him to prison following treatment, and complained on Tuesday she was not allowed to visit him in jail. A number of other opposition figures, who applied to stand in the September elections but were rejected, have been jailed since the rally. Opposition politician Dmitry Gudkov was on Tuesday sentenced to a month over an earlier unauthorised protest, while would-be candidate Ilya Yashin was jailed for 20 days in two separate sentencings. The director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, Ivan Zhdanov, was on Monday jailed for 15 days, and independent politician Yulia Galyamina sentenced to 10 days on Tuesday. 'Obliged to use force' Earlier Tuesday, a senior representative of the Russian prosecutor general's office called for a "severe" response to any further unauthorised rallies. The opposition has however already called for a new unsanctioned protest on Saturday, and more than 13,000 people have indicated an interest on Facebook. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a top Putin ally, accused organisers of preparing a "fresh provocation". In a TV interview, he defended the response of police, who he said were "obliged to use force" during the weekend demonstration. The West has condemned the actions of the Russian police, who used batons on demonstrators on Saturday. AFP journalists at the scene saw protesters with injuries. Elections to Moscow's 45-seat legislative body, currently controlled by the ruling party United Russia, are to be held on September 8. Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over Putin's two decades in power.

Russia launches criminal probe after mass protest for fair elections

Russia's jailed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-opposition-leader-navalny-in-satisfactory-condition-hospital-239204">opposition leader Alexei Navalny</a> said Monday he might have been "poisoned" in his prison cell amid a crackdown on anti-Kremlin protesters.

Navalny, who has been in jail since last week for calling an unauthorised rally, released a picture of himself in hospital with his face puffy, especially around the eyes.

His lawyer and personal physician earlier said that Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's top opponent, was exposed to an unidentified toxic substance and that doctors had sent him back to jail despite his condition.

The 43-year-old lawyer was rushed to hospital from jail on Sunday, a day after nearly 1,400 people were arrested at an unauthorised protest -- the largest police crackdown on dissent in recent years.

Writing on his blog, Navalny, who has never suffered from allergies, said he woke up at night because his face, ears and neck burnt.

"I might have been poisoned," he said he thought at the time.&nbsp;

When he woke up Sunday morning his face was swollen and his eyelids "the size of ping pong balls", he said.

The swelling subsided after he was treated with steroids in hospital and he now looks like someone "who has been drinking for a week," he said.

He ruled out any foul play by local police, saying they themselves have been "shocked" by his appearance, but suggested that someone might have entered his cell when he was not there.

Earlier on Monday his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told reporters: "It is indeed poisoning by some unknown chemical substance."

The opposition politician's physician Anastasia Vasilyeva slammed doctors for sending him back to the jail despite needing to continue treatment.

"Alexei has been clearly sent back to the detention centre on orders from above," she said.

Vasilyeva accused the hospital doctors of not wanting to find out what caused Navalny's condition.&nbsp;

She said his health was in danger in prison and warned that his cell could be contaminated.

Vasilyeva, an ophthalmologist, previously treated Navalny after he nearly lost the sight in one eye following an attack in 2017.

- 'Rotten system' -

The Russian opposition leader is serving a 30-day jail sentence for calling a rally after authorities blocked prominent independent candidates from taking part in upcoming Moscow parliament elections in September.

Ahead of the rally, police detained a number of popular opposition politicians who have fought to get on the ballot.

They included the director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, Ivan Zhdanov -- who was sentenced to 15 days in jail on Monday -- and prominent opposition politician and another would-be candidate Ilya Yashin who was jailed for 10 days, also Monday.

"I am not afraid of your rotten system, your arrests or your detention centres," Yashin said in court, according to an account that he published on social media.

Despite the crackdown, thousands of protesters -- many in their 20s and early 30s -- turned up on Saturday in central Moscow to demonstrate over the blocking of opposition candidates and to urge the authorities to open up the tightly-controlled system.

Police beat up protesters with batons and indiscriminately arrested people including the elderly and passers-by.&nbsp;

As riot police assaulted the peaceful protesters, Putin dived to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland aboard a submersible.

On social media, Russians seethed with anger over the brutality of police tactics, sharing stories of injuries and detentions.

Liberal Russian media estimated the rally turnout was up to 15,000 people.&nbsp;

While the Kremlin scrambled to contain the fallout, Germany slammed "the disproportionately tough police action" and urged the detained protesters' release.

France expressed concern over the recent developments in Russia, noting the "sudden deterioration" of Navalny's health.

The opposition has called for a new protest on Saturday.

- Activists 'banged up' -&nbsp;

The Bell, a respected Russian-language online publication, said the Kremlin had underestimated Muscovites' anger and readiness to protest.

"Now we'll have to think what to do with all of this," it quoted a Kremlin source as saying.

A person familiar with the Kremlin thinking told the Bell that the most prominent activists would be "banged up", while the rest would be intimidated into no longer protesting.

More than 21,000 people signed a petition calling on Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to resign. 
&nbsp;

Russia's jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday he might have been "poisoned" in his prison cell amid a crackdown on anti-Kremlin protesters. Navalny, who has been in jail since last week for calling an unauthorised rally, released a picture of himself in hospital with his face puffy, especially around the eyes.

Russia's jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday he might have been "poisoned" in his prison cell amid a crackdown on anti-Kremlin protesters. Navalny, who has been in jail since last week for calling an unauthorised rally, released a picture of himself in hospital with his face puffy, especially around the eyes. His lawyer and personal physician earlier said that Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's top opponent, was exposed to an unidentified toxic substance and that doctors had sent him back to jail despite his condition. The 43-year-old lawyer was rushed to hospital from jail on Sunday, a day after nearly 1,400 people were arrested at an unauthorised protest -- the largest police crackdown on dissent in recent years. Writing on his blog, Navalny, who has never suffered from allergies, said he woke up at night because his face, ears and neck burnt. "I might have been poisoned," he said he thought at the time. When he woke up Sunday morning his face was swollen and his eyelids "the size of ping pong balls", he said. The swelling subsided after he was treated with steroids in hospital and he now looks like someone "who has been drinking for a week," he said. He ruled out any foul play by local police, saying they themselves have been "shocked" by his appearance, but suggested that someone might have entered his cell when he was not there. Earlier on Monday his lawyer Olga Mikhailova told reporters: "It is indeed poisoning by some unknown chemical substance." The opposition politician's physician Anastasia Vasilyeva slammed doctors for sending him back to the jail despite needing to continue treatment. "Alexei has been clearly sent back to the detention centre on orders from above," she said. Vasilyeva accused the hospital doctors of not wanting to find out what caused Navalny's condition. She said his health was in danger in prison and warned that his cell could be contaminated. Vasilyeva, an ophthalmologist, previously treated Navalny after he nearly lost the sight in one eye following an attack in 2017. - 'Rotten system' - The Russian opposition leader is serving a 30-day jail sentence for calling a rally after authorities blocked prominent independent candidates from taking part in upcoming Moscow parliament elections in September. Ahead of the rally, police detained a number of popular opposition politicians who have fought to get on the ballot. They included the director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, Ivan Zhdanov -- who was sentenced to 15 days in jail on Monday -- and prominent opposition politician and another would-be candidate Ilya Yashin who was jailed for 10 days, also Monday. "I am not afraid of your rotten system, your arrests or your detention centres," Yashin said in court, according to an account that he published on social media. Despite the crackdown, thousands of protesters -- many in their 20s and early 30s -- turned up on Saturday in central Moscow to demonstrate over the blocking of opposition candidates and to urge the authorities to open up the tightly-controlled system. Police beat up protesters with batons and indiscriminately arrested people including the elderly and passers-by. As riot police assaulted the peaceful protesters, Putin dived to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland aboard a submersible. On social media, Russians seethed with anger over the brutality of police tactics, sharing stories of injuries and detentions. Liberal Russian media estimated the rally turnout was up to 15,000 people. While the Kremlin scrambled to contain the fallout, Germany slammed "the disproportionately tough police action" and urged the detained protesters' release. France expressed concern over the recent developments in Russia, noting the "sudden deterioration" of Navalny's health. The opposition has called for a new protest on Saturday. - Activists 'banged up' - The Bell, a respected Russian-language online publication, said the Kremlin had underestimated Muscovites' anger and readiness to protest. "Now we'll have to think what to do with all of this," it quoted a Kremlin source as saying. A person familiar with the Kremlin thinking told the Bell that the most prominent activists would be "banged up", while the rest would be intimidated into no longer protesting. More than 21,000 people signed a petition calling on Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to resign.

I might have been poisoned: Vladimir Putin's opponent Alexei Navalny 

A charismatic <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-hospitalised-for-allergic-reaction-239039">anti-corruption campaigner, Alexei Navalny</a> has been Russia's leading opposition politician for around a decade, determined to challenge Vladimir Putin's grip on power despite frequent prison stays and even damage to his health.

The Yale-educated 43-year-old lawyer has been banned from state television and was barred from challenging Putin in a presidential election last year.

He has often been jailed and physically attacked, but has vowed to press ahead with his campaign to change Russia for the better.

Navalny has won a young fan base through viral videos exposing corruption among the elites and has more than two million followers on Twitter.

He has grabbed attention with his uncompromising rhetoric and coined phrases such as the "party of crooks and thieves" to slam the ruling party United Russia.

In 2011, the anti-corruption blogger led mass protests when tens of thousands took to the streets of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dozens-arrested-at-moscow-protest-after-opposition-crackdown-238830">Moscow</a> to protest against vote-rigging in parliamentary elections.

Two years later the father of two stood for Moscow mayor, coming second against Putin ally Sergei Sobyanin.

In 2017, he accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of massive corruption in a YouTube documentary. That kick-started a fresh wave of protests across the country that was met with police violence and mass arrests.&nbsp;

The same year he had to travel to Spain for surgery after one of several street attacks left him nearly blind in one eye.

Brother jailed

Navalny has faced a series of legal cases, which supporters see as punishment for his activism.

In 2013, he was found guilty in an embezzlement case involving a timber deal and given a five-year suspended sentence that disqualified him from standing for public office.

The European Court of Human Rights threw out the verdict but a retrial issued Navalny the same sentence.

He then had to spend months under house arrest and was often kept incommunicado over another graft case linked to French cosmetics company Yves Rocher.

In 2014, he was given another suspended sentence, and his brother Oleg, a co-defendant, was jailed for three and a half years in a decision activist have compared to "hostage-taking".

Navalny has said he learned about political campaigning from watching the US television series "House of Cards" and once listed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/tom-cruise-arnold-schwarzenegger-revive-80s-hollywood-classics-at-comic-con-237124">Hollywood actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger</a> among his heroes.

Navalny toured Russia ahead of the 2018 presidential election in an American-style campaign to rally his supporters.

But with the Kremlin tightly controlling the media, he remains a fringe figure for many Russians, who are exposed to the official portrayal of him as a Western stooge and convicted criminal.&nbsp;

Putin has refused to pronounce Navalny's name in public, instead referring to him as "the person you mentioned", among other euphemisms, when asked directly about the opposition leader.

Eye-catching exposes 
&nbsp; 
While barred from mainstream politics, Navalny has kept trying to expose the lavish wealth of Russia's elites, broadcasting the findings of his investigations to millions of Russians on social media and YouTube.

Trawling through land registries and the filings of offshore companies, Navalny and his team have helped lay bare the mansions and hidden fortunes of high-ranking officials.&nbsp;

Among Navalny's most eye-catching exposes have been details on the palatial homes of Putin's allies in Russia and abroad including one kitted out with a vast climate-controlled storage room for fur coats in the residence of Vladimir Yakunin, former chief of Russia's national railways.

But despite tapping into discontent among a largely young urban middle class he is far from a unifying opposition figure and some have criticised his anti-immigrant nationalist stance.

Several members of Navalny's team have fought hard to get on the ballot for Moscow parliament elections in September, each managing to collect roughly 5,000 signatures from supporters. They have been barred from running, along with other pro-Kremlin politicians.

Last week Navalny was jailed for calling an unauthorised protest over the ban and on Sunday he was rushed to a hospital. His lawyer and doctor said he had been "poisoned." 
&nbsp;

A charismatic anti-corruption campaigner, Alexei Navalny has been Russia's leading opposition politician for around a decade, determined to challenge Vladimir Putin's grip on power despite frequent prison stays and even damage to his health.

A charismatic anti-corruption campaigner, Alexei Navalny has been Russia's leading opposition politician for around a decade, determined to challenge Vladimir Putin's grip on power despite frequent prison stays and even damage to his health. The Yale-educated 43-year-old lawyer has been banned from state television and was barred from challenging Putin in a presidential election last year. He has often been jailed and physically attacked, but has vowed to press ahead with his campaign to change Russia for the better. Navalny has won a young fan base through viral videos exposing corruption among the elites and has more than two million followers on Twitter. He has grabbed attention with his uncompromising rhetoric and coined phrases such as the "party of crooks and thieves" to slam the ruling party United Russia. In 2011, the anti-corruption blogger led mass protests when tens of thousands took to the streets of Moscow to protest against vote-rigging in parliamentary elections. Two years later the father of two stood for Moscow mayor, coming second against Putin ally Sergei Sobyanin. In 2017, he accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of massive corruption in a YouTube documentary. That kick-started a fresh wave of protests across the country that was met with police violence and mass arrests. The same year he had to travel to Spain for surgery after one of several street attacks left him nearly blind in one eye. Brother jailed Navalny has faced a series of legal cases, which supporters see as punishment for his activism. In 2013, he was found guilty in an embezzlement case involving a timber deal and given a five-year suspended sentence that disqualified him from standing for public office. The European Court of Human Rights threw out the verdict but a retrial issued Navalny the same sentence. He then had to spend months under house arrest and was often kept incommunicado over another graft case linked to French cosmetics company Yves Rocher. In 2014, he was given another suspended sentence, and his brother Oleg, a co-defendant, was jailed for three and a half years in a decision activist have compared to "hostage-taking". Navalny has said he learned about political campaigning from watching the US television series "House of Cards" and once listed Hollywood actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger among his heroes. Navalny toured Russia ahead of the 2018 presidential election in an American-style campaign to rally his supporters. But with the Kremlin tightly controlling the media, he remains a fringe figure for many Russians, who are exposed to the official portrayal of him as a Western stooge and convicted criminal. Putin has refused to pronounce Navalny's name in public, instead referring to him as "the person you mentioned", among other euphemisms, when asked directly about the opposition leader. Eye-catching exposes While barred from mainstream politics, Navalny has kept trying to expose the lavish wealth of Russia's elites, broadcasting the findings of his investigations to millions of Russians on social media and YouTube. Trawling through land registries and the filings of offshore companies, Navalny and his team have helped lay bare the mansions and hidden fortunes of high-ranking officials. Among Navalny's most eye-catching exposes have been details on the palatial homes of Putin's allies in Russia and abroad including one kitted out with a vast climate-controlled storage room for fur coats in the residence of Vladimir Yakunin, former chief of Russia's national railways. But despite tapping into discontent among a largely young urban middle class he is far from a unifying opposition figure and some have criticised his anti-immigrant nationalist stance. Several members of Navalny's team have fought hard to get on the ballot for Moscow parliament elections in September, each managing to collect roughly 5,000 signatures from supporters. They have been barred from running, along with other pro-Kremlin politicians. Last week Navalny was jailed for calling an unauthorised protest over the ban and on Sunday he was rushed to a hospital. His lawyer and doctor said he had been "poisoned."

Alexei Navalny: The lawyer standing up to Russia's President Vladimir Putin

More than 650,000 people have signed a petition calling on Russian authorities to toughen domestic violence legislation thanks to a hard-hitting social media campaign.

The petition was created a few years ago but has only gathered steam over the past week after Russian female bloggers and women's rights activists threw their weight behind it with an online campaign.

The women have posted photos of themselves with make-up suggesting cuts and bruises, along with the slogan,&nbsp;"I did not want to die."

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Gj4m3isoR/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Совсем недавно погибла очередная жертва домашнего насилия. Оксану Садыкову начал бить муж. И когда чаша терпения переполнилась, она написала на него заявление о побоях и подала на развод. В полиции ничего не сделали, мужа отпустили, он подкараулил ее в подъезде и убил на глазах у 8-летнего сына. Трое несовершеннолетних детей остались без матери. ⠀ Оксана была бы сейчас жива, существуй у нас закон о домашнем насилии. После избиений и попытки удушения ее муж не должен был находиться на свободе, или же Оксану должен был защищать охранный ордер. Муж должен был носить датчик движения и проходить психологическую программу для агрессоров (они, кстати, работают великолепно. В других странах). Но наше государство не защитило Оксану, и она умерла при попытке уйти. ⠀ Таких Оксан у нас в стране много. ⠀ Ежегодно от домашнего насилия в России гибнут около 12.000-14 000 женщин (https://rg.ru/2012/10/23/nasilie.html) В Америке, где сильно развита система профилактики и борьбы с домашним насилием, в 3-4 раза меньше. Хотя население там в два раза больше, чем у нас. ⠀ России нужен федеральный закон о профилактике семейного насилия и помощи пострадавшим от него. Есть шанс, что его будут рассматривать этой осенью. Чтобы это точно произошло, нам нужна максимальная огласка. ⠀ Внезапно я поняла, что действовать надо прямо сейчас, и что только моего голоса мало. И обратилась за помощью к другим блогерам. А сейчас хочу обратиться к вам. ⠀ Мы запускаем #ЯНеХотелаУмирать — флешмоб в поддержку закона о домашнем насилии, который спасает жизни уже в 146 странах. Мы требуем принять его в России. ⠀ РОССИИ НУЖЕН ЭТОТ ЗАКОН. Пожалуйста, если вы понимаете это, помогите нам добиться его принятия — выскажитесь публично о его необходимости. ⠀ Чтобы поучаствовать, надо сделать фото с надписью #ЯНеХотелаУмирать на себе или с табличкой с хэштэгом #ЯНеХотелаУмирать (можно сделать грим, но это не обязательно) и в посте тоже указать хэштэг. Табличка или надпись необязательна, если у вас нет возможности их сделать. Важна любая поддержка. ⠀ Дальше в серии➡️</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alexandramitroshina/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Обычный человек Саша Митрошина</a> (@alexandramitroshina) on <time datetime="2019-07-19T14:57:45+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jul 19, 2019 at 7:57am PDT</time>
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The aim is to help boost a petition first launched by leading women's rights figure Aliona Popova, urging Russia to adopt a law protecting victims of domestic violence, which mainly affects women.

Russia's legal system effectively leaves women without any state protection against abuse at home.

The issue is rarely discussed publicly and campaigners say police often ignore cases.&nbsp;

"In Russia, almost 16 million women are victims of domestic violence every year," Popova said at a news conference on Monday, hailing the online campaign for helping to garner more than 650,000 signatures.

There is no separate law covering domestic violence in cases where the victim is living with the attacker, but rather it is included under the offence of battery.&nbsp;

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law watering down the punishment of abuse in families in 2017, making a first offence punishable by only a fine instead of a jail sentence.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, the European Court of Human Rights issued its first ruling on a domestic violence case in Russia.

The court noted Russian authorities' "reluctance to acknowledge the seriousness and extent of the problem."

"One out of three women in Russia is beaten by their husband or partner. Every 45 minutes, a woman is killed at home -- these numbers are terrifying," Olga Kravtsova, a blogger with a large following on social media, wrote on Instagram earlier this month.&nbsp;

Last month, a case against three teenage sisters who killed their father after years of alleged beatings and sexual abuse sparked protests and highlighted Russia's dire record on domestic violence.&nbsp;

In late 2017, the nation was shaken by the fate of Margarita Gracheva whose husband took her to a forest where he tortured her and chopped off her hands. The tragedy took place after the police had ignored her complaints.&nbsp;

More than 650,000 people have signed a petition calling on Russian authorities to toughen domestic violence legislation thanks to a hard-hitting social media campaign.

More than 650,000 people have signed a petition calling on Russian authorities to toughen domestic violence legislation thanks to a hard-hitting social media campaign. The petition was created a few years ago but has only gathered steam over the past week after Russian female bloggers and women's rights activists threw their weight behind it with an online campaign. The women have posted photos of themselves with make-up suggesting cuts and bruises, along with the slogan, "I did not want to die." View this post on Instagram Совсем недавно погибла очередная жертва домашнего насилия. Оксану Садыкову начал бить муж. И когда чаша терпения переполнилась, она написала на него заявление о побоях и подала на развод. В полиции ничего не сделали, мужа отпустили, он подкараулил ее в подъезде и убил на глазах у 8-летнего сына. Трое несовершеннолетних детей остались без матери. ⠀ Оксана была бы сейчас жива, существуй у нас закон о домашнем насилии. После избиений и попытки удушения ее муж не должен был находиться на свободе, или же Оксану должен был защищать охранный ордер. Муж должен был носить датчик движения и проходить психологическую программу для агрессоров (они, кстати, работают великолепно. В других странах). Но наше государство не защитило Оксану, и она умерла при попытке уйти. ⠀ Таких Оксан у нас в стране много. ⠀ Ежегодно от домашнего насилия в России гибнут около 12.000-14 000 женщин (https://rg.ru/2012/10/23/nasilie.html) В Америке, где сильно развита система профилактики и борьбы с домашним насилием, в 3-4 раза меньше. Хотя население там в два раза больше, чем у нас. ⠀ России нужен федеральный закон о профилактике семейного насилия и помощи пострадавшим от него. Есть шанс, что его будут рассматривать этой осенью. Чтобы это точно произошло, нам нужна максимальная огласка. ⠀ Внезапно я поняла, что действовать надо прямо сейчас, и что только моего голоса мало. И обратилась за помощью к другим блогерам. А сейчас хочу обратиться к вам. ⠀ Мы запускаем #ЯНеХотелаУмирать — флешмоб в поддержку закона о домашнем насилии, который спасает жизни уже в 146 странах. Мы требуем принять его в России. ⠀ РОССИИ НУЖЕН ЭТОТ ЗАКОН. Пожалуйста, если вы понимаете это, помогите нам добиться его принятия — выскажитесь публично о его необходимости. ⠀ Чтобы поучаствовать, надо сделать фото с надписью #ЯНеХотелаУмирать на себе или с табличкой с хэштэгом #ЯНеХотелаУмирать (можно сделать грим, но это не обязательно) и в посте тоже указать хэштэг. Табличка или надпись необязательна, если у вас нет возможности их сделать. Важна любая поддержка. ⠀ Дальше в серии➡️ A post shared by Обычный человек Саша Митрошина (@alexandramitroshina) on Jul 19, 2019 at 7:57am PDT × The aim is to help boost a petition first launched by leading women's rights figure Aliona Popova, urging Russia to adopt a law protecting victims of domestic violence, which mainly affects women. Russia's legal system effectively leaves women without any state protection against abuse at home. The issue is rarely discussed publicly and campaigners say police often ignore cases. "In Russia, almost 16 million women are victims of domestic violence every year," Popova said at a news conference on Monday, hailing the online campaign for helping to garner more than 650,000 signatures. There is no separate law covering domestic violence in cases where the victim is living with the attacker, but rather it is included under the offence of battery. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law watering down the punishment of abuse in families in 2017, making a first offence punishable by only a fine instead of a jail sentence. Earlier this month, the European Court of Human Rights issued its first ruling on a domestic violence case in Russia. The court noted Russian authorities' "reluctance to acknowledge the seriousness and extent of the problem." "One out of three women in Russia is beaten by their husband or partner. Every 45 minutes, a woman is killed at home -- these numbers are terrifying," Olga Kravtsova, a blogger with a large following on social media, wrote on Instagram earlier this month. Last month, a case against three teenage sisters who killed their father after years of alleged beatings and sexual abuse sparked protests and highlighted Russia's dire record on domestic violence. In late 2017, the nation was shaken by the fate of Margarita Gracheva whose husband took her to a forest where he tortured her and chopped off her hands. The tragedy took place after the police had ignored her complaints.

Over 650,000 sign Russia petition to boost domestic violence law

Russian police rounded up more than 1,000 people in Moscow on Saturday in one of the biggest crackdowns of recent times against an increasingly defiant opposition decrying President Vladimir Putin's tight grip on power.

The detentions came around a protest to demand that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-detains-more-than-500-people-over-election-protest-monitor-238890">opposition members</a> be allowed to run in a local election. Authorities had declared it illegal and sought to block participation, but several thousand people turned up anyway in one of the longest and most determined protests of recent years.

Chants of "Russia without Putin" and "Putin resign" echoed through central Moscow as guardsmen clad in riot gear beat back protesters with batons and roughly detained people.

At least one woman and a man appeared to have suffered serious head wounds.

Saturday's events showed how activists and especially younger people remain intent on pressing to open Russia's tightly-choreographed political system to competition.

Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny had called the protest to persuade officials to allow opposition-minded candidates to run in a September 8 vote.

Authorities say they were barred because they failed to collect sufficient genuine signatures in their support.

The opposition has no seats in parliament and is starved of air time on state TV where many Russians still get their news.

Opinion polls in the past have shown support for Navalny, a lawyer and anti-corruption activist, only in the single digits. But backers note he won almost a third of the vote in a 2013 Moscow mayoral race and say his movement could build momentum in the Russian capital if allowed to compete fairly.

Though Putin's approval rating is still high at well over 60 per cent, it is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes. Last year, the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

Burnishing his man of action image, Putin spent Saturday diving to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland in a mini-submarine to honour a Soviet submarine that sunk there in World War Two.

Arrested 'sitting on a bench'

OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police detained at least 1,067 people before or at Saturday's protest. As in past sweeps, many were only held for a matter of hours.

Police put participation at more than 3,500 people, of whom it said around 700 people were journalists and bloggers.

Some activists were arrested twice after being released and then returning to protest in a different place.&nbsp;

One of those detained, Alexander Latyshev, 45, said he had come from the nearby Vladimir region to discuss business with an associate and been randomly detained. "I was just sitting on a bench (when they took me)," he told.

Police also raided an office being used by Navalny's supporters to live-stream the protest.

TV Rain, an independent station covering the protests, said its editor-in-chief had been called in for questioning.

Under Russian law, the location and timing of such protests need to be agreed with authorities beforehand, something that was not done for Saturday's event.

Kremlin critic Navalny was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday and other members of the opposition have had their homes searched. Ilya Yashin, a Navalny ally, said police had searched his Moscow flat overnight before detaining him and driving him out of the capital. He called for another protest next Saturday.

Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, said on Twitter she had been detained on Saturday morning. Other prominent activists Dmitry Gudkov and Lyubov Sobol were also held.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin ally, had warned beforehand that authorities would act decisively against the risk of "serious provocations".

The police's investigative arm has already opened a criminal investigation into an opposition rally in June which it said may have obstructed the work of Moscow's electoral commission.

An authorised protest in Moscow last weekend, also calling for the disbarred candidates to be registered, was attended by more than 20,000 people, according to the White Counter monitoring group.

Russian police rounded up more than 1,000 people in Moscow on Saturday in one of the biggest crackdowns of recent times against an increasingly defiant opposition decrying President Vladimir Putin's tight grip on power.

Russian police rounded up more than 1,000 people in Moscow on Saturday in one of the biggest crackdowns of recent times against an increasingly defiant opposition decrying President Vladimir Putin's tight grip on power. The detentions came around a protest to demand that opposition members be allowed to run in a local election. Authorities had declared it illegal and sought to block participation, but several thousand people turned up anyway in one of the longest and most determined protests of recent years. Chants of "Russia without Putin" and "Putin resign" echoed through central Moscow as guardsmen clad in riot gear beat back protesters with batons and roughly detained people. At least one woman and a man appeared to have suffered serious head wounds. Saturday's events showed how activists and especially younger people remain intent on pressing to open Russia's tightly-choreographed political system to competition. Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny had called the protest to persuade officials to allow opposition-minded candidates to run in a September 8 vote. Authorities say they were barred because they failed to collect sufficient genuine signatures in their support. The opposition has no seats in parliament and is starved of air time on state TV where many Russians still get their news. Opinion polls in the past have shown support for Navalny, a lawyer and anti-corruption activist, only in the single digits. But backers note he won almost a third of the vote in a 2013 Moscow mayoral race and say his movement could build momentum in the Russian capital if allowed to compete fairly. Though Putin's approval rating is still high at well over 60 per cent, it is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes. Last year, the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024. Burnishing his man of action image, Putin spent Saturday diving to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland in a mini-submarine to honour a Soviet submarine that sunk there in World War Two. Arrested 'sitting on a bench' OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police detained at least 1,067 people before or at Saturday's protest. As in past sweeps, many were only held for a matter of hours. Police put participation at more than 3,500 people, of whom it said around 700 people were journalists and bloggers. Some activists were arrested twice after being released and then returning to protest in a different place. One of those detained, Alexander Latyshev, 45, said he had come from the nearby Vladimir region to discuss business with an associate and been randomly detained. "I was just sitting on a bench (when they took me)," he told. Police also raided an office being used by Navalny's supporters to live-stream the protest. TV Rain, an independent station covering the protests, said its editor-in-chief had been called in for questioning. Under Russian law, the location and timing of such protests need to be agreed with authorities beforehand, something that was not done for Saturday's event. Kremlin critic Navalny was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday and other members of the opposition have had their homes searched. Ilya Yashin, a Navalny ally, said police had searched his Moscow flat overnight before detaining him and driving him out of the capital. He called for another protest next Saturday. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, said on Twitter she had been detained on Saturday morning. Other prominent activists Dmitry Gudkov and Lyubov Sobol were also held. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin ally, had warned beforehand that authorities would act decisively against the risk of "serious provocations". The police's investigative arm has already opened a criminal investigation into an opposition rally in June which it said may have obstructed the work of Moscow's electoral commission. An authorised protest in Moscow last weekend, also calling for the disbarred candidates to be registered, was attended by more than 20,000 people, according to the White Counter monitoring group.

Russia detains more than 1,000 people in opposition crackdown

Russian police arrested almost <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dozens-arrested-at-moscow-protest-after-opposition-crackdown-238830">1,400 people as they gathered in Moscow</a> at the weekend to demand open elections, a monitor said, the biggest crackdown on a rally in the country in years.

Some 3,500 people took part in the unauthorised protest on Saturday, according to official figures, after authorities blocked prominent opposition candidates from taking part in city elections.

The meeting came a week after 22,000 took to the streets calling on authorities to reverse their decision ahead of the vote.

Police used batons on protesters as they tried to gather outside city hall on Saturday, and AFP reporters at the scene saw demonstrators with injuries.&nbsp;

The EU in a statement denounced the "disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters," which it said undermined "the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and assembly".&nbsp;

Amnesty International also condemned what it said was the use of excessive force by the police.&nbsp;

After the rally, last week investigators raided the homes and headquarters of a number of disqualified candidates. Top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling the fresh protest.

Several would-be candidates were detained before or during the meeting on Saturday. Among them was Ilya Yashin, who called for another protest next weekend.&nbsp;

OVD-Info, an organisation that monitors protests, reported Sunday that 1,373 people were detained.&nbsp;

It said this was the highest number since mass demonstrations in 2012 when tens of thousands protested <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-detains-more-than-500-people-over-election-protest-monitor-238890">President Vladimir Putin's</a> return to the Kremlin after four years as prime minister.

The new protests come amid wider public anger over declining living standards that have hit Putin's approval ratings.

Elections to Moscow's 45-seat legislative body, currently controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, are due to be held in September.&nbsp;

While pro-Kremlin candidates enjoy the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot for the city polls.

Following pickets last week, including outside the local election commission building, investigators said they were launching a criminal probe into obstructing the work of election officials.&nbsp;

If found guilty, organisers risk up to five years in prison.

Russian police arrested almost 1,400 people as they gathered in Moscow at the weekend to demand open elections, a monitor said, the biggest crackdown on a rally in the country in years.

Russian police arrested almost 1,400 people as they gathered in Moscow at the weekend to demand open elections, a monitor said, the biggest crackdown on a rally in the country in years. Some 3,500 people took part in the unauthorised protest on Saturday, according to official figures, after authorities blocked prominent opposition candidates from taking part in city elections. The meeting came a week after 22,000 took to the streets calling on authorities to reverse their decision ahead of the vote. Police used batons on protesters as they tried to gather outside city hall on Saturday, and AFP reporters at the scene saw demonstrators with injuries. The EU in a statement denounced the "disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters," which it said undermined "the fundamental freedoms of expression, association, and assembly". Amnesty International also condemned what it said was the use of excessive force by the police. After the rally, last week investigators raided the homes and headquarters of a number of disqualified candidates. Top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling the fresh protest. Several would-be candidates were detained before or during the meeting on Saturday. Among them was Ilya Yashin, who called for another protest next weekend. OVD-Info, an organisation that monitors protests, reported Sunday that 1,373 people were detained. It said this was the highest number since mass demonstrations in 2012 when tens of thousands protested President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin after four years as prime minister. The new protests come amid wider public anger over declining living standards that have hit Putin's approval ratings. Elections to Moscow's 45-seat legislative body, currently controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, are due to be held in September. While pro-Kremlin candidates enjoy the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot for the city polls. Following pickets last week, including outside the local election commission building, investigators said they were launching a criminal probe into obstructing the work of election officials. If found guilty, organisers risk up to five years in prison.

Russian police arrest 1,400 people in Moscow election protest

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dozens-arrested-at-moscow-protest-after-opposition-crackdown-238830">Russian police arrested</a> more than 500 people on Saturday, including prominent activists, around a political protest in Moscow to demand that<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-opposition-plans-protest-demanding-fair-elections-despite-arrests-238824"> members of the opposition</a> be allowed to run in a local election later this year.

The protest, which authorities declared illegal beforehand, did not represent a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin and his allies who have the resources to break up such demonstrations and jail people.

With several thousand people present, however, it showed how many activists and especially younger people are unafraid to challenge authorities on the streets and intend to keep pressing for the Kremlin to open up Russia's tightly-choreographed political system to competition.

Chants of "Russia without Putin" and "Putin resign" echoed through central Moscow as guardsmen clad in riot gear beat back protesters with batons and roughly detained people.

At least one woman appeared to suffered serious head wounds.

Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny had called for the protest, near the Moscow mayor's office, to persuade authorities to allow opposition-minded candidates to run in a Sept. 8 vote in Moscow, which they have been barred from.

The opposition has no seats in parliament and is starved of air time on state TV where many Russians still get their news.

Opinion polls in the past have shown support for Navalny, a lawyer and anti-corruption activist, only in the single digits. But backers note he won almost a third of the vote in a 2013 Moscow mayoral race and say his movement could build momentum in the Russian capital if allowed to compete fairly.

Though Putin's approval rating is still high at well over 60 per cent, it is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes. Last year, the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

Burnishing his man of action image, Putin spent Saturday diving to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland in a mini-submarine to pay tribute to a Soviet submarine that sunk there during World War Two.

Authorities say the Moscow local election candidates were prohibited from running because they had failed to collect a sufficient number of genuine signatures in their support, an allegation the opposition rejects as false.

OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police had detained at least 520 people before or at Saturday's protest. In the past many of those taken into custody have often been released later on the same day.

Police put participation at more than 3,500 people, of whom it said around 700 people were journalists and bloggers.

Arrests and home searches

Reuters witnesses said some of those detained appeared to be ordinary passersby in the wrong place at the wrong time.

One of those detained, Alexander Latyshev, 45, said he had came from the nearby Vladimir region to discuss business with an associate and been randomly detained. "I was just sitting on a bench (when they took me)," he told Reuters inside a police bus.

Before the protest, police detained activists to prevent them from attending the protest and blocked off some streets.

During the demonstration, they raided an office being used by Navalny's supporters to live-stream the protest.

Under Russian law, the location and timing of such protests needs to be agreed with authorities beforehand, something that was not done in this case.

Kremlin critic Navalny was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday and other members of the opposition have had their homes searched. Ilya Yashin, a Navalny ally, said on Facebook on Saturday that police had searched his Moscow flat overnight before detaining him and driving him out of the Russian capital.

Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, said on Twitter she and another activist had been detained on Saturday morning. Other prominent activists, Dmitry Gudkov and Lyubov Sobol, were detained later.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin ally, had warned beforehand that authorities would act decisively against the risk of "serious provocations".

"Order in the city will be maintained," he said.

Russia's Investigative Committee, the police's investigative arm, has already opened a criminal investigation into an opposition rally in June which it said may have obstructed the work of Moscow's electoral commission.

An authorised protest in Moscow last weekend calling for the disbarred candidates to be registered was attended by more than 20,000 people, according to the White Counter monitoring group.

Russian police arrested more than 500 people on Saturday, including prominent activists, around a political protest in Moscow to demand that members of the opposition be allowed to run in a local election later this year.

Russian police arrested more than 500 people on Saturday, including prominent activists, around a political protest in Moscow to demand that members of the opposition be allowed to run in a local election later this year. The protest, which authorities declared illegal beforehand, did not represent a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin and his allies who have the resources to break up such demonstrations and jail people. With several thousand people present, however, it showed how many activists and especially younger people are unafraid to challenge authorities on the streets and intend to keep pressing for the Kremlin to open up Russia's tightly-choreographed political system to competition. Chants of "Russia without Putin" and "Putin resign" echoed through central Moscow as guardsmen clad in riot gear beat back protesters with batons and roughly detained people. At least one woman appeared to suffered serious head wounds. Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny had called for the protest, near the Moscow mayor's office, to persuade authorities to allow opposition-minded candidates to run in a Sept. 8 vote in Moscow, which they have been barred from. The opposition has no seats in parliament and is starved of air time on state TV where many Russians still get their news. Opinion polls in the past have shown support for Navalny, a lawyer and anti-corruption activist, only in the single digits. But backers note he won almost a third of the vote in a 2013 Moscow mayoral race and say his movement could build momentum in the Russian capital if allowed to compete fairly. Though Putin's approval rating is still high at well over 60 per cent, it is lower than it used to be due to discontent over years of falling incomes. Last year, the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024. Burnishing his man of action image, Putin spent Saturday diving to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland in a mini-submarine to pay tribute to a Soviet submarine that sunk there during World War Two. Authorities say the Moscow local election candidates were prohibited from running because they had failed to collect a sufficient number of genuine signatures in their support, an allegation the opposition rejects as false. OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said police had detained at least 520 people before or at Saturday's protest. In the past many of those taken into custody have often been released later on the same day. Police put participation at more than 3,500 people, of whom it said around 700 people were journalists and bloggers. Arrests and home searches Reuters witnesses said some of those detained appeared to be ordinary passersby in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of those detained, Alexander Latyshev, 45, said he had came from the nearby Vladimir region to discuss business with an associate and been randomly detained. "I was just sitting on a bench (when they took me)," he told Reuters inside a police bus. Before the protest, police detained activists to prevent them from attending the protest and blocked off some streets. During the demonstration, they raided an office being used by Navalny's supporters to live-stream the protest. Under Russian law, the location and timing of such protests needs to be agreed with authorities beforehand, something that was not done in this case. Kremlin critic Navalny was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday and other members of the opposition have had their homes searched. Ilya Yashin, a Navalny ally, said on Facebook on Saturday that police had searched his Moscow flat overnight before detaining him and driving him out of the Russian capital. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, said on Twitter she and another activist had been detained on Saturday morning. Other prominent activists, Dmitry Gudkov and Lyubov Sobol, were detained later. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a Putin ally, had warned beforehand that authorities would act decisively against the risk of "serious provocations". "Order in the city will be maintained," he said. Russia's Investigative Committee, the police's investigative arm, has already opened a criminal investigation into an opposition rally in June which it said may have obstructed the work of Moscow's electoral commission. An authorised protest in Moscow last weekend calling for the disbarred candidates to be registered was attended by more than 20,000 people, according to the White Counter monitoring group.

Russia detains more than 500 people over election protest

Russian police arrested dozens of people as they gathered at Moscow city hall Saturday to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-opposition-plans-protest-demanding-fair-elections-despite-arrests-238824">demand free and fair elections</a>, an AFP journalist said, following a crackdown on the opposition.&nbsp;

Thousands of Russians had vowed to<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-police-detain-at-least-94-including-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-at-moscow-journalist-protest-226536"> take to the streets </a>of the capital after authorities refused to allow opposition and independent candidates to stand for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-over-20000-rally-in-moscow-as-election-anger-boils-over-237366">Moscow</a>'s city council in September.&nbsp;

Investigators raided the homes and headquarters of several disqualified candidates in the run-up to the protest, while top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling for the demonstration.&nbsp;

Other leading opposition figures and would-be candidates were arrested in the hours leading up to the event.

The Saturday protest is the latest in a series of rallies over the local election, which comes amid declining living standards and a fall in President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings.

Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over Putin's 20 years in power.

Security was tight in central Moscow on Saturday and an AFP journalist said at least 50 people had been arrested before the planned start of the demonstration at two pm local time (1100 GMT).&nbsp;

Protest monitoring organisations reported dozens more arrests.

Politician and disqualified candidate Dmitry Gudkov was arrested shortly before the march. Earlier he had said the future of the country was at stake.

"If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument," he said.&nbsp;

"What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in."

Elena Rastovka, a 68-year-old pensioner at the demonstration, told AFP: "I've been afraid all my life, but enough is enough. If we stay at home nothing will change.

"Authorities arrest people who want to challenge them. Look at what they're doing -- the authorities do not like the people."

Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said he had been arrested shortly ahead of the demonstration, while barred candidate Ilya Yashin announced he was detained in the early hours of Saturday morning following a raid on his home.

- 'Security threat' -

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobaynin called the unauthorised protest a "security threat", adding that "order will be ensured according to the relevant laws".&nbsp;

Last weekend 22,000 people turned up for a protest in Moscow, the largest such demonstration in years, after election authorities refused to register dozens of candidates.

While pro-Kremlin candidates enjoy the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot.

Rejected candidate Lyubov Sobol this week launched a hunger strike in protest.&nbsp;

On Thursday, the 31-year-old demanded officials review her documents and came to the offices of the Moscow election commission to continue her strike.

But security agents took her out of the building on the sofa she was sitting on.

After activists and ordinary Muscovites staged pickets, including outside the local election commission building, investigators said they were launching a criminal probe into obstructing the work of election officials.&nbsp;

If found guilty, organisers risk up to five years in prison.

- ' Impossible not to protest' -

Nearly 11,000 people indicated interest in the rally on Facebook.

Police asked media to notify the authorities if they planned to cover the protest and urged Russians to skip the rally altogether.

Viktoria Popova, a 30-year-old illustrator, said she could not miss it.&nbsp;

"It is impossible not to come, it's impossible to feel powerless, unable to change anything," she told AFP.

"Who would have thought it would become important to take part in such a bizarre and boring affair as the Moscow parliament election?"

Russian police arrested dozens of people as they gathered at Moscow city hall Saturday to demand free and fair elections, an AFP journalist said, following a crackdown on the opposition.

Russian police arrested dozens of people as they gathered at Moscow city hall Saturday to demand free and fair elections, an AFP journalist said, following a crackdown on the opposition. Thousands of Russians had vowed to take to the streets of the capital after authorities refused to allow opposition and independent candidates to stand for Moscow's city council in September. Investigators raided the homes and headquarters of several disqualified candidates in the run-up to the protest, while top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling for the demonstration. Other leading opposition figures and would-be candidates were arrested in the hours leading up to the event. The Saturday protest is the latest in a series of rallies over the local election, which comes amid declining living standards and a fall in President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings. Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over Putin's 20 years in power. Security was tight in central Moscow on Saturday and an AFP journalist said at least 50 people had been arrested before the planned start of the demonstration at two pm local time (1100 GMT). Protest monitoring organisations reported dozens more arrests. Politician and disqualified candidate Dmitry Gudkov was arrested shortly before the march. Earlier he had said the future of the country was at stake. "If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument," he said. "What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in." Elena Rastovka, a 68-year-old pensioner at the demonstration, told AFP: "I've been afraid all my life, but enough is enough. If we stay at home nothing will change. "Authorities arrest people who want to challenge them. Look at what they're doing -- the authorities do not like the people." Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said he had been arrested shortly ahead of the demonstration, while barred candidate Ilya Yashin announced he was detained in the early hours of Saturday morning following a raid on his home. - 'Security threat' - Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobaynin called the unauthorised protest a "security threat", adding that "order will be ensured according to the relevant laws". Last weekend 22,000 people turned up for a protest in Moscow, the largest such demonstration in years, after election authorities refused to register dozens of candidates. While pro-Kremlin candidates enjoy the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot. Rejected candidate Lyubov Sobol this week launched a hunger strike in protest. On Thursday, the 31-year-old demanded officials review her documents and came to the offices of the Moscow election commission to continue her strike. But security agents took her out of the building on the sofa she was sitting on. After activists and ordinary Muscovites staged pickets, including outside the local election commission building, investigators said they were launching a criminal probe into obstructing the work of election officials. If found guilty, organisers risk up to five years in prison. - ' Impossible not to protest' - Nearly 11,000 people indicated interest in the rally on Facebook. Police asked media to notify the authorities if they planned to cover the protest and urged Russians to skip the rally altogether. Viktoria Popova, a 30-year-old illustrator, said she could not miss it. "It is impossible not to come, it's impossible to feel powerless, unable to change anything," she told AFP. "Who would have thought it would become important to take part in such a bizarre and boring affair as the Moscow parliament election?"

Dozens arrested at Moscow protest after opposition crackdown

Thousands of Russians say they will take to the streets of Moscow on Saturday to demand fair local elections, despite a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-police-detain-at-least-94-including-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-at-moscow-journalist-protest-226536">police crackdown on the opposition </a>that has seen top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny jailed.

The planned rally is the latest in a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-over-20000-rally-in-moscow-as-election-anger-boils-over-237366">series of protests</a> over authorities' refusal to allow dozens of opposition candidates to stand for election to Moscow's city council in September.

Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over President Vladimir Putin's 20 years in power.

Investigators raided the homes and headquarters of several disqualified candidates in the run-up to the protest, while Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling for the demonstration.&nbsp;

Security was tight in central Moscow on Saturday and six people were arrested in front of city hall hours before the protest started, according to OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during demonstrations.

Politician and would-be candidate Dmitry Gudkov, whose home was raided on Wednesday, said the future of the country was at stake.

"If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument," he said.&nbsp;

"What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in."

Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said on Twitter he had been arrested shortly ahead of the demonstration on Saturday.&nbsp;

Barred candidate Ilya Yashin said in the early hours of Saturday morning he had also been arrested following a raid on his home.

'Security threat'

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobaynin called the unauthorised protest a "security threat", adding that "order will be ensured according to the relevant laws".&nbsp;

Officials told Russia's TASS news agency they would be looking for people who had avoided military service at the rally.&nbsp;

Last weekend 22,000 people turned up for a protest in Moscow, the largest such demonstration in years, after election authorities refused to register dozens of candidates.

A handful of people were detained at that protest, though hundreds were arrested last month at a demonstration in Moscow against police abuses.

While pro-Kremlin candidates enjoy the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot.

Rejected candidate Lyubov Sobol this week launched a hunger strike in protest.&nbsp;

On Thursday, the 31-year-old demanded officials review her documents and came to the offices of the Moscow election commission to continue her strike.

But security agents took her out of the building on the sofa she was sitting on.

After activists and ordinary Muscovites staged pickets, including outside the local election commission building, investigators said they were launching a criminal probe into obstructing the work of election officials.&nbsp;

If found guilty, organisers risk up to five years in prison.

'Absurdities become norm'

Ahead of Saturday's rally, Russian business daily Vedomosti described the actions of local authorities as Orwellian.

"Over the past days, absurdities have become the norm," the newspaper said.

Nearly 11,000 people indicated interest in the rally on Facebook, which comes amid declining living standards and falling approval ratings for Putin.

Police asked media to notify the authorities if they planned to cover the protest and urged Russians to skip the rally altogether.

Viktoria Popova, a 30-year-old illustrator, said she could not miss it.&nbsp;

"It is impossible not to come, it's impossible to feel powerless, unable to change anything," she told AFP.

"Who would have thought it would become important to take part in such a bizarre and boring affair as the Moscow parliament election?"

Thousands of Russians say they will take to the streets of Moscow on Saturday to demand fair local elections, despite a police crackdown on the opposition that has seen top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny jailed.

Thousands of Russians say they will take to the streets of Moscow on Saturday to demand fair local elections, despite a police crackdown on the opposition that has seen top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny jailed. The planned rally is the latest in a series of protests over authorities' refusal to allow dozens of opposition candidates to stand for election to Moscow's city council in September. Local polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over President Vladimir Putin's 20 years in power. Investigators raided the homes and headquarters of several disqualified candidates in the run-up to the protest, while Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling for the demonstration. Security was tight in central Moscow on Saturday and six people were arrested in front of city hall hours before the protest started, according to OVD-Info, which monitors arrests during demonstrations. Politician and would-be candidate Dmitry Gudkov, whose home was raided on Wednesday, said the future of the country was at stake. "If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument," he said. "What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in." Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said on Twitter he had been arrested shortly ahead of the demonstration on Saturday. Barred candidate Ilya Yashin said in the early hours of Saturday morning he had also been arrested following a raid on his home. 'Security threat' Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobaynin called the unauthorised protest a "security threat", adding that "order will be ensured according to the relevant laws". Officials told Russia's TASS news agency they would be looking for people who had avoided military service at the rally. Last weekend 22,000 people turned up for a protest in Moscow, the largest such demonstration in years, after election authorities refused to register dozens of candidates. A handful of people were detained at that protest, though hundreds were arrested last month at a demonstration in Moscow against police abuses. While pro-Kremlin candidates enjoy the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot. Rejected candidate Lyubov Sobol this week launched a hunger strike in protest. On Thursday, the 31-year-old demanded officials review her documents and came to the offices of the Moscow election commission to continue her strike. But security agents took her out of the building on the sofa she was sitting on. After activists and ordinary Muscovites staged pickets, including outside the local election commission building, investigators said they were launching a criminal probe into obstructing the work of election officials. If found guilty, organisers risk up to five years in prison. 'Absurdities become norm' Ahead of Saturday's rally, Russian business daily Vedomosti described the actions of local authorities as Orwellian. "Over the past days, absurdities have become the norm," the newspaper said. Nearly 11,000 people indicated interest in the rally on Facebook, which comes amid declining living standards and falling approval ratings for Putin. Police asked media to notify the authorities if they planned to cover the protest and urged Russians to skip the rally altogether. Viktoria Popova, a 30-year-old illustrator, said she could not miss it. "It is impossible not to come, it's impossible to feel powerless, unable to change anything," she told AFP. "Who would have thought it would become important to take part in such a bizarre and boring affair as the Moscow parliament election?"

Russian opposition plans protest demanding fair elections despite arrests

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vladimir-putin-after-three-days-says-fire-hit-russian-submarine-was-nuclear-powered-233047">President Vladimir Putin</a> handed Russian citizenship to gas producer Novatek's veteran finance chief Mark Gyetvay on Monday, a move that could potentially help the US national bypass some sanctions restrictions.

US sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 ban US nationals and companies from helping organise long-term funding for some major Russian firms, including Novatek.

The sanctions were imposed following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

When the US and the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, executives with foreign passports at companies affected including Novatek - the country's largest non-state natural gas producer - and state bank VTB handed over responsibility for organising new debt or equity issuance to colleagues without EU or US passports.

Gyetvay, who has been Novatek's chief finance officer since 2003, acknowledged back in 2014 that he could no longer help his company raise new long-term financing.

US-born Gyetvay was awarded Russian citizenship in a presidential decree published on the Kremlin's website on Monday. Putin has previously granted citizenship to some other Western nationals working in top positions at Russian companies.

Gyetvay declined to comment on the decree.

President Vladimir Putin handed Russian citizenship to gas producer Novatek's veteran finance chief Mark Gyetvay on Monday, a move that could potentially help the US national bypass some sanctions restrictions.

President Vladimir Putin handed Russian citizenship to gas producer Novatek's veteran finance chief Mark Gyetvay on Monday, a move that could potentially help the US national bypass some sanctions restrictions. US sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 ban US nationals and companies from helping organise long-term funding for some major Russian firms, including Novatek. The sanctions were imposed following Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. When the US and the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, executives with foreign passports at companies affected including Novatek - the country's largest non-state natural gas producer - and state bank VTB handed over responsibility for organising new debt or equity issuance to colleagues without EU or US passports. Gyetvay, who has been Novatek's chief finance officer since 2003, acknowledged back in 2014 that he could no longer help his company raise new long-term financing. US-born Gyetvay was awarded Russian citizenship in a presidential decree published on the Kremlin's website on Monday. Putin has previously granted citizenship to some other Western nationals working in top positions at Russian companies. Gyetvay declined to comment on the decree.

Putin gives Russian citizenship to Novatek's finance chief, a US national

More than 22,000 people packed a Moscow square Saturday to demand free and fair local polls, incensed by the authorities' refusal to put popular opposition candidates on the ballot.

Staging their largest protest in years, opposition leaders such as President Vladimir Putin's top opponent Alexei Navalny and ordinary Muscovites rallied after authorities refused to register independent candidates seeking to contest the September vote for the capital's parliament.

"This is my city!" the crowd chanted during the two-hour-long sanctioned rally.

"We will show them this is a dangerous game," Navalny bellowed from a stage.

"We should fight for our candidates," he said as the huge crowd cheered and waved Russian flags.&nbsp;

The 43-year-old threatened an even bigger rally next Saturday, near the mayor's office, unless Moscow's authorities register a new crop of popular politicians including Ilya Yashin and Lyubov Sobol within seven days.

After the rally, 16 independent candidates issued a joint statement demanding access to the ballot and accusing Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin of sparking a "political crisis" in the city of some 15 million.

Speaking at the rally, Navalny ally Sobol, who has been on a hunger strike for a week to protest the authorities' refusal to allow her to run, vowed to keep up the fight.

"I am sure that we will win," said the visibly fatigued 31-year-old lawyer, propped up by an ally on stage.

Many ordinary Russians have slammed what they called the blatant impunity of officials, saying people's patience was running thin.

"We are angry at the lawlessness," Alexander Polovinkin, a 21-year-old student, told AFP.

Police detained a handful of protesters, said the OVD-Info monitor, adding one of them had his arm broken.

'Stop lying'

Many protesters took direct aim at the 66-year-old Putin, who has brooked no dissent during his two decades in power.

"Putin lies," said one placard. "Stop lying to us," read another one.

Opposition candidate Ilya Yashin, who is a local councillor, said Putin must go. "I've lived half my life under Putin. I've had enough," the 36-year-old said.

Fellow opposition contender Dmitry Gudkov, who was also disqualified, accused the authorities of stealing not only people's votes but their very future.

"We've been living in an occupied country for the past 20 years," he said.

White Counter, an NGO that tracks participation in protest rallies, said about 22,500 people took part in Saturday's rally.&nbsp;

Navalny said it was the largest rally since 2012 when tens of thousands protested election fraud during parliamentary polls.

Police, which downplay&nbsp;turnout at opposition rallies, said 12,000 turned up.

Observers said that never before have Muscovites turned up in such great numbers to demand access for their candidates in local elections.&nbsp;

Opposition politicians fought tooth and nail to get on the ballot paper as they seek to capitalise on Putin's falling approval ratings and anger over declining living standards and unchecked corruption.

They were made to jump through countless hoops, and each had to collect roughly 5,000 signatures to be eligible.

'We are ghosts'

Electoral authorities this week still refused to register the opposition candidates, accusing them of faking some of the signatures.&nbsp;

Critics said some of the officials' reasoning bordered on the absurd.

The Kremlin dismissed the opposition's complaints, but many Russians are furious at what they perceive as electoral interference.

The opposition candidates staged smaller daily rallies throughout the week.

Many have also taken to social media in recent days to post messages or videos to prove they were not "dead souls."

At Saturday's rally, some protesters waved their passports in the air, chanting "We have come!"

Greg Yudin, a lecturer at the Higher School of Economics, said he and many other Muscovites discovered that their signatures were declared fake.

"All of us are ghosts. We are the nobodies," he said on Facebook this week.

Observer Kirill Rogov said the candidates' exclusion was "one of the largest frauds in Russia's electoral history".

"We are witnessing a major large-scale crime," he wrote on his blog.

Some 7.2 million Muscovites are eligible to elect 45 lawmakers to the local parliament, currently dominated by the United Russia ruling party.

More than 22,000 people packed a Moscow square Saturday to demand free and fair local polls, incensed by the authorities' refusal to put popular opposition candidates on the ballot.

More than 22,000 people packed a Moscow square Saturday to demand free and fair local polls, incensed by the authorities' refusal to put popular opposition candidates on the ballot. Staging their largest protest in years, opposition leaders such as President Vladimir Putin's top opponent Alexei Navalny and ordinary Muscovites rallied after authorities refused to register independent candidates seeking to contest the September vote for the capital's parliament. "This is my city!" the crowd chanted during the two-hour-long sanctioned rally. "We will show them this is a dangerous game," Navalny bellowed from a stage. "We should fight for our candidates," he said as the huge crowd cheered and waved Russian flags. The 43-year-old threatened an even bigger rally next Saturday, near the mayor's office, unless Moscow's authorities register a new crop of popular politicians including Ilya Yashin and Lyubov Sobol within seven days. After the rally, 16 independent candidates issued a joint statement demanding access to the ballot and accusing Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin of sparking a "political crisis" in the city of some 15 million. Speaking at the rally, Navalny ally Sobol, who has been on a hunger strike for a week to protest the authorities' refusal to allow her to run, vowed to keep up the fight. "I am sure that we will win," said the visibly fatigued 31-year-old lawyer, propped up by an ally on stage. Many ordinary Russians have slammed what they called the blatant impunity of officials, saying people's patience was running thin. "We are angry at the lawlessness," Alexander Polovinkin, a 21-year-old student, told AFP. Police detained a handful of protesters, said the OVD-Info monitor, adding one of them had his arm broken. 'Stop lying' Many protesters took direct aim at the 66-year-old Putin, who has brooked no dissent during his two decades in power. "Putin lies," said one placard. "Stop lying to us," read another one. Opposition candidate Ilya Yashin, who is a local councillor, said Putin must go. "I've lived half my life under Putin. I've had enough," the 36-year-old said. Fellow opposition contender Dmitry Gudkov, who was also disqualified, accused the authorities of stealing not only people's votes but their very future. "We've been living in an occupied country for the past 20 years," he said. White Counter, an NGO that tracks participation in protest rallies, said about 22,500 people took part in Saturday's rally. Navalny said it was the largest rally since 2012 when tens of thousands protested election fraud during parliamentary polls. Police, which downplay turnout at opposition rallies, said 12,000 turned up. Observers said that never before have Muscovites turned up in such great numbers to demand access for their candidates in local elections. Opposition politicians fought tooth and nail to get on the ballot paper as they seek to capitalise on Putin's falling approval ratings and anger over declining living standards and unchecked corruption. They were made to jump through countless hoops, and each had to collect roughly 5,000 signatures to be eligible. 'We are ghosts' Electoral authorities this week still refused to register the opposition candidates, accusing them of faking some of the signatures. Critics said some of the officials' reasoning bordered on the absurd. The Kremlin dismissed the opposition's complaints, but many Russians are furious at what they perceive as electoral interference. The opposition candidates staged smaller daily rallies throughout the week. Many have also taken to social media in recent days to post messages or videos to prove they were not "dead souls." At Saturday's rally, some protesters waved their passports in the air, chanting "We have come!" Greg Yudin, a lecturer at the Higher School of Economics, said he and many other Muscovites discovered that their signatures were declared fake. "All of us are ghosts. We are the nobodies," he said on Facebook this week. Observer Kirill Rogov said the candidates' exclusion was "one of the largest frauds in Russia's electoral history". "We are witnessing a major large-scale crime," he wrote on his blog. Some 7.2 million Muscovites are eligible to elect 45 lawmakers to the local parliament, currently dominated by the United Russia ruling party.

Russia: Over 20,000 rally in Moscow as election anger boils over

For almost a decade, Alexander Temerko, who forged a career at the top of the Russian arms industry and had connections at the highest levels of the Kremlin, has been an influential figure in British politics.

For almost a decade, Alexander Temerko, who forged a career at the top of the Russian arms industry and had connections at the highest levels of the Kremlin, has been an influential figure in British politics. He's one of the Conservative Party's major donors. He counts Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to be Britain's next PM, among his friends. Temerko, born in what was then Soviet Ukraine, presents himself in public as an entrepreneur who opposes Britain's departure from the European Union because it's bad for his UK energy business, and as a dissident critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But in more than half a dozen conversations with this reporter, conducted over the past three years as part of the research for a book, he showed a different side of his career and views. Temerko revealed himself to be a supporter of Johnson's bid to lead Britain out of the EU, describing the 2016 public vote to leave the bloc as a "revolution against bureaucracy." He praised senior Russian security officials, including the current and former heads of the Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the KGB, and proudly recalled his past work with Russia's Defence Ministry. These new insights into Temerko's private thinking about Johnson, Brexit, and Russia come as the ruling Conservative Party is choosing its next leader, and as some British MPs are increasingly wary of possible Russian influence over British politics. The result of the Conservative Party leadership contest is expected on July 23. Temerko has gifted more than £1 million to the Conservatives since he gained British citizenship in 2011, electoral finance records show - a significant amount by UK standards. Johnson is not among the politicians recorded as having received donations from Temerko. But the industrialist has financed some of Johnson's important allies in parliament, including one of the men running his campaign for the Tory leadership, James Wharton, who also serves as a paid adviser to the UK energy firm where Temerko is a director. Temerko spoke warmly about his "friend" Johnson, telling how the two men sometimes call each other "Sasha," the Russian diminutive for Alexander, which is Johnson's real first name. He described how, at the beginning of Johnson's tenure as Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018, they would often "plot" late into the evening over a bottle of wine on the balcony of Johnson's office at parliament in Westminster. Johnson's press secretary Lee Cain didn't respond to repeated requests for comment for this article. The Conservative Party said only that "donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and fully comply with the law." In one conversation in February this year, Temerko said he'd joined an unsuccessful attempt led by members of a group of hardline Conservative MPs, the European Research Group, to remove Theresa May as the leader in December 2018. The MPs were unhappy at May's failure to take Britain out of the EU almost three years after Britons voted to leave. Temerko didn't detail his role in the move, but a senior Conservative Party member confirmed that Temerko was "very much behind the attempt to oust" May. The party member declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. May finally resigned on June 7. Jacob Rees Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group, said in response to Reuters' questions that Temerko "has no link formal or informal" with the group. Rees Mogg said he didn't know Temerko, but couldn't speak for Temerko's relationship with individual MPs. May's office referred Reuters' questions about the episode to the Conservative Party, which didn't comment. In the same conversation in February, Temerko spoke in positive terms about one of Putin's closest and most powerful allies, Nikolai Patrushev, the hawkish head of Russia's Security Council and former long-time head of the FSB security service, describing him as a "decent family man." On another occasion, he said of Patrushev, "There is much more positive than negative about him." One of Temerko's former business partners in Russia, Leonid Nevzlin, said Temerko had long-standing ties with Russian security agencies but declined to say whether he believes those ties remain active. Nevzlin and Temerko were shareholders in oil firm Yukos before Putin's government seized control of the company. Nevzlin, who was one of the main shareholders, said Yukos's management brought Temerko in "for several projects as well as for his contacts at the top of the Federal Security Service and the Defence Ministry." Nevzlin added that Temerko knew Patrushev "well." Asked to respond, Temerko said in a follow-up interview this week that his role at Yukos encompassed the oil company's connections with the entire Russian state, not just with the Defence Ministry. His relations with people in the security services, he added, were "formal" and not "personal." He denied having any ongoing links with Russian security services. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Temerko "has no connection to the Kremlin or the Russian authorities. We do not know this gentleman." Reuters couldn't reach Patrushev for comment. Asked this week about the apparent contradiction between his private and public statements on Brexit, Temerko said his views changed with time and he was "evolutionary." He said he joined the push to oust May because he thought she should be more flexible in negotiating a route out of the EU. In recent weeks, as Johnson's campaign gathered pace, Temerko has appeared to distance himself from his friend. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph in June, Temerko said he was switching support from Johnson to his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, over Johnson's apparent willingness to take Britain out of the EU without securing an agreement over the terms of the withdrawal. Temerko repeated this stance in a blog post for the Huffington Post on July 3, calling for Conservatives to reject the "fairytale" being offered by the "fun blonde guy," a reference to the fair-haired Johnson. As recently as February, Temerko told this reporter: "Jeremy is very dangerous. He really does occupy the center-ground. He's very clever. He's a person of the system." There is no record of Temerko providing any financing to Hunt, and none of Temerko's longstanding allies work on the Hunt campaign. A spokesperson for Hunt declined to comment. This portrait of Temerko and his activity comes as some MPs worry about possible Russian interference in British democracy. In February this year, parliament's committee overseeing digital and media matters called on the government to investigate attempts by Russia to influence the June 2016 referendum on Britain's EU membership, amid growing evidence in the United States and elsewhere that the Kremlin has been pursuing a campaign to divide and disrupt Western democracies. Ben Bradshaw, a senior Labour parliamentarian who was the first MP to raise concern about potential Kremlin interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, said Reuters' findings were "extremely troubling." "We know the Kremlin seeks to disrupt, destabilise and influence our democracy in a number of ways. We must have complete confidence that the close relationships between Conservative politicians and Russian business people with ties to the Putin regime are above board and free from Kremlin influencing operations. The fact that an ex-Tory MP who is running Johnson's leadership campaign is employed by Mr. Temerko is extraordinary." The senior Conservative with knowledge of Temerko's efforts to remove May said some members of the party had distanced themselves from the businessman in recent months, as concerns have grown over Temerko's Russian connections. But "others," he said about Johnson, were "still close." The party member indicated that Conservative Chairman Brandon Lewis and Sir Graham Brady, then the head of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee, a parliamentary group, had been briefed about these concerns. The source declined to give further details about the briefings. Brady did not respond to an emailed request for comment. A spokesperson for Lewis declined to comment. The Conservative Party didn't comment. Electoral Commission records show Temerko, and UK companies linked to him, have made donations to 11 individual MPs, including Lewis, the chairman of the Tory Party, while helping fund as many as 27 local branches of the Conservative Party in areas where Tory MPs won election in the north of England, Wales, and London. There is no record of him providing funds to Johnson or his constituency, and this year much of his funding activity seems to have petered out. In the February 2019 conversation, as May faced overwhelming parliamentary opposition to her EU withdrawal agreement, Temerko forecast that if Brexit isn't implemented, "the time of the mainstream parties will end," and "the old system will be destroyed." His friend Johnson, he predicted then, could lead a new movement backing Brexit. Those comments about a new political era chimed with remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with the Financial Times in June, Putin trumpeted the rise of national populist movements in Europe and the United States, saying that "the liberal idea has become obsolete." Putin has rarely commented directly on Brexit, which he says is a matter for the British people. At his annual press conference in December 2018, he decried the idea of holding a second referendum on Brexit and said the UK government had to implement Britain's departure from the EU, otherwise, faith in democratic procedures would be undermined. FROM RUSSIA TO LONDON Temerko rose to prominence in the Russia arms industry in the 1990s, in the wild days that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Three former Russian business partners, including Nevzlin, as well as a former Russian intelligence officer, said Temerko grew close with the Russian security services. Those ties were forged in the 1990s, these people said when Temerko served as head of a state committee for the military and later as head of a strategic Russian state arms company known as Russkoye Oruzhie, or Russian Weapons. Russkoye Oruzhie no longer exists. Temerko cultivated close relations with the Russian defence minister of the early 1990s, Pavel Grachev. Temerko has described the late Grachev as his "handler." Temerko has boasted to this reporter that he had three-star and four-star Russian generals working under him. In 1999, Temerko became a member of the board and significant shareholder at one of the new Russia's most successful companies, Yukos, led by the charismatic billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Temerko said he helped Yukos secure a lucrative contract to supply the Russian army with oil. As head of the oil firm's government relations, he'd also led a push by Yukos to build an oil pipeline to China and, according to one of the former business partners, he'd travelled with other Yukos officials on many business trips they made abroad. "He knew the Russian ambassadors and consuls of every country," this former business partner said. Temerko said he knew many but not all of them. Things went sour for Yukos when Khodorkovsky tried to build a political power base for himself. When Khodorkovsky was arrested and jailed on fraud charges in October 2003, Temerko was the only Yukos shareholder who remained in the country to negotiate with the Kremlin. The remaining shareholders fled fearing they would face arrest. Temerko told how his standing with the Kremlin was such that he was able to try to negotiate about ways to preserve Yukos and secure Khodorkovsky's release directly with Igor Sechin, the then-deputy head of the Kremlin administration and the Putin security man seen as the mastermind behind the Kremlin campaign to take over Yukos. Temerko said that in those days his status meant he was essentially untouchable. His security ties, he said, once got him access to a meeting of the Russian Security Council, the circle of 24 top Russian officials, chaired by Putin, who steer national security policy. In the event, Khodorkovsky remained in jail for 10 years, while Temerko also fled. Sechin has previously denied orchestrating the legal campaign to take over Yukos. Sechin could not be reached for comment for this article. NEW FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES Temerko arrived in Britain in 2005, saying he was a refugee from the politically charged takeover of Yukos. The Russian government had charged him with defrauding the state oil major Rosneft. Temerko denied the charge, saying the case was part of the Russian government's campaign against Yukos and its former top managers. The High Court in London declined a Russian request for Temerko's extradition in December 2005, saying it was politically motivated. The case bolstered his standing as a Russian dissident who'd suffered at the hands of the Russian state, helping secure his footing as a donor who could be trusted. Temerko won entrée to the top of the Conservative Party during David Cameron's premiership that began in 2010. At the time, according to Russian financier and Conservative Party activist, Sergei Cristo, the Tories were seeking new sources of cash following the 2008 financial crisis. Temerko paid £90,000 for a bronze bust of Cameron at a fundraising auction in 2013, now displayed at the Carlton Club, an exclusive London private members club. Cameron couldn't be reached for comment. Temerko's donations translated into access. In 2014, he was appointed by the local branch of the party as a vice-president of the Cities of London and Westminster Conservative Association, which delivered even greater opportunity to mix with leading Tories. Temerko also became part of the Conservative Party donor club The Leader's Group, where £50,000 in annual membership fees grants access to the prime minister and other senior ministers at dinners, cocktail receptions, and other events. In the conversations of the last three years, Temerko boasted he played an important role in securing election victories for the Conservative Party at a time when it "was fighting for every vote." Together with OGN Group, a major steel manufacturer in the UK's northeast, where he served as director, he said he'd sponsored 40 members of parliament in previous elections. "My business was one of the biggest businesses that supported the Conservative Party and its deputies in northern England," he said in the February 2019 conversation, adding he'd brought in supporters from Britain's East European minority. OGN Group is now in liquidation. The Conservative Party didn't comment. In public remarks, Temerko has consistently said he opposes Brexit because it will damage his UK business interests, which now centre on a firm, Aquind Ltd, developing an undersea electric power link between Britain and France. On his website, he says he is a "vocal supporter" of British membership of the EU. While Temerko has publicly spoken out against Brexit and has made donations to parliamentarians who campaigned to remain in the EU, at least two Conservative politicians close to Temerko played key roles on the Brexit side in the run-up to the June 2016 referendum. One of them is Wharton, a former Conservative MP who is overseeing Johnson's leadership campaign, at the same time as being a paid adviser to the power firm Aquind Ltd where Temerko is a director. In June 2013, Wharton put forward the parliamentary bill that first called for a referendum on Britain's EU membership. Temerko made £25,000 in political donations to Wharton between 2013 and 2015, disclosures to parliament show, a relatively large figure for an individual British MP, helping fund his re-election in 2015 in a constituency neighbouring Temerko's OGN Group steelworks. Wharton didn't respond to a request for comment. The minister of state for exiting the EU, Martin Callanan, served on the board of Temerko's Aquind from May 2016 to June 2017, at which time he joined the government. Callanan didn't respond to a request for comment. In a conversation with this reporter in July 2016, shortly after Britons voted to leave the EU, Temerko was jubilant about the possibilities of Johnson leading Britain's exit from the bloc. By then, Johnson was the most powerful figure in the "Leave" campaign. "We know that if Boris is our elected leader then our party membership will grow. There would be massive support for our party at election," he said at the time. The vote to leave the EU, he added, was "a revolution against bureaucracy." During the same conversation, Temerko said "a group of East European businessmen" had helped sway Johnson into a siding in February 2016 with campaigners for Britain's departure from the EU after months of sitting on the fence. But Temerko declined to name any of these East European businessmen and declined to repeat this comment. Temerko's allies are at the helm of Johnson's campaign. Wharton, the adviser to Temerko's power firm Aquind Ltd, has overseen the day to day running of Johnson's campaign, particularly in its initial stages. Gavin Williamson, the former UK defence secretary whom Temerko has frequently described as "a good lad," helped lead Johnson's campaign to win the support of his parliamentary colleagues to replace Theresa May. Conservative parliamentarians whittled the field down to two candidates in a series of votes in June before handing the final choice to the party's estimated 160,000 members. Williamson declined to comment. Temerko says he is "friends" with political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, whose firm, CTF Partners, gave Johnson a £20,000 interest-free loan and a £3,000 cash donation late last year, according to a disclosure to parliament by Johnson. A co-founder of CTF, Mark Fullbrook, is the Johnson campaign's chief executive. Crosby declined to comment. CTF says it isn't involved in the Johnson campaign and Fullbrook is on a leave of absence, working voluntarily for Johnson's leadership bid. Temerko has said his days as a power player in Moscow are over. He has told this reporter he is now persona non-grata with the Russian authorities, especially after he publicly called in 2015 for the UK to supply weapons to Ukraine to assist it in its war with pro-Kremlin separatists because only a show of force would stop the conflict. "They consider that I am among those who directed the UK government against them. I am a warmonger. I am more of an enemy now than when I was in Yukos," he said. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said he couldn't comment because he doesn't know who Temerko is. Temerko retains at least one powerful connection, however. One of Temerko's former business partners said the industrialist is in contact with Andrei Guryev, the owner of Russian fertilizer giant Phosagro. Guryev, too, has become a notable figure in Britain. He owns Witanhurst, a vast estate in Highgate in the north of London that is the UK's second-biggest house after Buckingham Palace. Guryev declined to comment. Temerko confirmed his friendship with Guryev. "Guryev is a good guy," Temerko said. "He's a very nice character. He's a sportsman. He's a kind fellow."

In British PM race, a former Russian tycoon quietly wields influence

Vladimir Putin Has Ruled Russia For Nearly 2 Decades Now. But Now, Opposition Protests Are Becoming Far Too Frequent After nearly two decades of Putin's monopoly over Russian politics, opposition leaders stage a major protest. But Putin doesn't want to give up power. Several independent polls have been denied a chance to contest in local body polls. Is Putin behind this attack on democracy? If so, why would he do it? Palki discusses the issue with Harry Horton from Moscow to get a sense of the development.

Gravitas: Major protest in Moscow: New challenge for Vladimir Putin

Representatives from the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/robert-muller-to-testify-before-house-committees-on-us-russia-probe-in-july-congress-230456&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiMqYiKornjAhXKso8KHeq_DFMQFjACegQIDxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2sjx_-5jhYFhUOAKW0ZERJ">United States and Russia</a> are set to meet in Geneva on Wednesday to explore the concept of a new accord limiting nuclear arms that could eventually include China, senior US officials said on Monday.

US President Donald Trump has said that he would like to see a "next-generation" arms control deal with Russia and China to cover all types of nuclear weapons. He has broached the topic individually with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, including most recently at the G20 summit in Osaka last month.

China is not a party to nuclear arms pacts between the United States and Russia and it is unclear how willing Beijing would be to be drawn into talks, said the officials, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

"A good meeting would be some greater clarity about where the Russians see things going with the Chinese," one official said.

China's Foreign Ministry reiterated that the country had no interest in joining such talks.

"At present, we cannot see the preconditions or basis for China participating in these negotiations between the United States and Russia," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing.

US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will lead the delegation, which will include Tim Morrison, a top aide at the White House National Security Council, and representatives from the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Agency, the US officials said.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, will lead the Russian delegation, the US officials said.

"We actually feel that - touch wood - we've actually got to a point where we can try to start this again," one US official said.

"I say touch wood because we're always just one incident away from unfortunately things getting derailed," the official said.

Relations between the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-says-us-russia-relations-are-getting-worse-and-worse-226830&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiMqYiKornjAhXKso8KHeq_DFMQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0tvrZETUunIs5K2GbpcHAL">United States and Russia</a> have been sour for years, deteriorating after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war.

Trump has sought better relations but has been hamstrung by a two-year investigation into the 2016 influence campaign by Russian operatives to attack Trump's Democratic rival in the presidential election, Hillary Clinton.

The investigation by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller found there was insufficient evidence that the Trump campaign illegally conspired with Moscow. The Kremlin has denied any meddling.

Relations also frayed over Russia's poisoning of a former spy and his daughter on British soil, the detention of Ukrainian navy boats and crew near Crimea, and Russia's detention of US citizens, among other incidents.

The Geneva meeting will be just two weeks before the United States withdraws from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty that required both countries to eliminate short-range and intermediate-range nuclear and conventional missiles.

US authorities believe Moscow is developing and has deployed a ground-launched system in breach of the INF treaty that could allow it to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice. Russia has consistently denied any such violation.

No breakthrough is expected on the INF treaty, the US officials said.

US officials also are not planning to discuss renewal of the 2011 New START treaty, a US-Russia arms control pact which limits deployed strategic nuclear weapons.

One of the officials told reporters it would be "premature" to talk about New START, which is set to expire in February 2021 but can be extended for five years if both sides agree, calling the issues a "next-year problem."

Representatives from the United States and Russia are set to meet in Geneva on Wednesday to explore the concept of a new accord limiting nuclear arms that could eventually include China, senior US officials said on Monday.

Representatives from the United States and Russia are set to meet in Geneva on Wednesday to explore the concept of a new accord limiting nuclear arms that could eventually include China, senior US officials said on Monday. US President Donald Trump has said that he would like to see a "next-generation" arms control deal with Russia and China to cover all types of nuclear weapons. He has broached the topic individually with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, including most recently at the G20 summit in Osaka last month. China is not a party to nuclear arms pacts between the United States and Russia and it is unclear how willing Beijing would be to be drawn into talks, said the officials, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. "A good meeting would be some greater clarity about where the Russians see things going with the Chinese," one official said. China's Foreign Ministry reiterated that the country had no interest in joining such talks. "At present, we cannot see the preconditions or basis for China participating in these negotiations between the United States and Russia," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing. US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will lead the delegation, which will include Tim Morrison, a top aide at the White House National Security Council, and representatives from the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Agency, the US officials said. Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, will lead the Russian delegation, the US officials said. "We actually feel that - touch wood - we've actually got to a point where we can try to start this again," one US official said. "I say touch wood because we're always just one incident away from unfortunately things getting derailed," the official said. Relations between the United States and Russia have been sour for years, deteriorating after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war. Trump has sought better relations but has been hamstrung by a two-year investigation into the 2016 influence campaign by Russian operatives to attack Trump's Democratic rival in the presidential election, Hillary Clinton. The investigation by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller found there was insufficient evidence that the Trump campaign illegally conspired with Moscow. The Kremlin has denied any meddling. Relations also frayed over Russia's poisoning of a former spy and his daughter on British soil, the detention of Ukrainian navy boats and crew near Crimea, and Russia's detention of US citizens, among other incidents. The Geneva meeting will be just two weeks before the United States withdraws from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty that required both countries to eliminate short-range and intermediate-range nuclear and conventional missiles. US authorities believe Moscow is developing and has deployed a ground-launched system in breach of the INF treaty that could allow it to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice. Russia has consistently denied any such violation. No breakthrough is expected on the INF treaty, the US officials said. US officials also are not planning to discuss renewal of the 2011 New START treaty, a US-Russia arms control pact which limits deployed strategic nuclear weapons. One of the officials told reporters it would be "premature" to talk about New START, which is set to expire in February 2021 but can be extended for five years if both sides agree, calling the issues a "next-year problem."

US, Russia to discuss nuclear arms limits in Geneva on Wednesday: Officials

Russian opposition leaders led a rally in Moscow of about 2,000 people Sunday to protest the city election commission’s decision to keep several opposition candidates off the ballot in a local election. Watch full video to know more.

Protesters in Moscow demand inclusion of Opposition candidates on ballots

Police in Moscow detained more than 25 protestors at a rally to demonstrate against a possible ban on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-police-detain-at-least-94-including-opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-at-moscow-journalist-protest-226536">opposition candidates</a> running in elections to the Russian capital's parliament.

Opposition leaders cried foul after Moscow's election commission said most of their sponsored candidates failed to secure the required number of signatures to participate in the election.

The commission has yet to officially announce the list of legitimate candidates for the Sept. 8 vote to the 45-seat parliament.

Ilya Yashin, a critic of President Vladimir Putin, and several other activists had called for a meeting with the voters on Sunday, an event, which transformed into a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-opposition-leader-navalny-jailed-1500-arrested-after-wave-of-protests-16759">march to the Moscow city</a> mayor office and then to the headquarters of the election commission.

Yashin said earlier on Sunday the election commission's allegation that many of the signatures supporting him were rigged was an "absolute fraud".

A police spokesman said more than 25 people, including some organisers of the protest, were detained in the centre of Moscow. "They have not responded to the police's command to stop their actions. They are being bussed to police stations for further inquiries," a spokesman said.

The participants shouted anti-government and anti-Putin slogans, urging the authorities to register their candidates.

There is a history of anti-Kremlin activists being denied access to run for the parliament seats or presidential office.

Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition leader, was barred from running in the 2018 presidential election after officials ruled he was ineligible to take part due to a suspended prison sentence.

The Moscow city election commission was not available for comment on Sunday.

Police in Moscow detained more than 25 protestors at a rally to demonstrate against a possible ban on opposition candidates running in elections to the Russian capital's parliament.

Police in Moscow detained more than 25 protestors at a rally to demonstrate against a possible ban on opposition candidates running in elections to the Russian capital's parliament. Opposition leaders cried foul after Moscow's election commission said most of their sponsored candidates failed to secure the required number of signatures to participate in the election. The commission has yet to officially announce the list of legitimate candidates for the Sept. 8 vote to the 45-seat parliament. Ilya Yashin, a critic of President Vladimir Putin, and several other activists had called for a meeting with the voters on Sunday, an event, which transformed into a march to the Moscow city mayor office and then to the headquarters of the election commission. Yashin said earlier on Sunday the election commission's allegation that many of the signatures supporting him were rigged was an "absolute fraud". A police spokesman said more than 25 people, including some organisers of the protest, were detained in the centre of Moscow. "They have not responded to the police's command to stop their actions. They are being bussed to police stations for further inquiries," a spokesman said. The participants shouted anti-government and anti-Putin slogans, urging the authorities to register their candidates. There is a history of anti-Kremlin activists being denied access to run for the parliament seats or presidential office. Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition leader, was barred from running in the 2018 presidential election after officials ruled he was ineligible to take part due to a suspended prison sentence. The Moscow city election commission was not available for comment on Sunday.

Dozens detained in Moscow as opposition demands to be included in vote

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has apparently not been invited by Russia for the Eastern Economic Forum which will happen in the port city of Vladivostok, the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified in a statement.

The statement came after Pakistani media reported last week that an invite was extended by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pakistan Prime Minister during the Shanghai cooperation organization summit in Bishkek last month.

Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement said,"We drew attention to the publications in a number of South Asian media that the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan was invited to the events of the Eastern Economic Forum (WEF-5) in Vladivostok (September 4-6, this year) as the guest of honour...".

Explaining, "We expect that the President of Mongolia H Battulga, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia M Mohammad and the Prime Minister of Japan S Abe will arrive" in Vladivostok.

Overall 3 Prime Ministers and one President will be attending the forum.&nbsp;

The forum meeting that began in 2015 aims to garner investment in Russia's far east region.

PM Modi will be going for the forum meeting as a special guest. Russian President Vladimir Putin had extended the invite during a telephonic conversation on January 1 and reiterated the invite during a conversation in February.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has apparently not been invited by Russia for the Eastern Economic Forum which will happen in the port city of Vladivostok, the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified in a statement.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has apparently not been invited by Russia for the Eastern Economic Forum which will happen in the port city of Vladivostok, the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified in a statement. The statement came after Pakistani media reported last week that an invite was extended by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pakistan Prime Minister during the Shanghai cooperation organization summit in Bishkek last month. Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement said,"We drew attention to the publications in a number of South Asian media that the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan was invited to the events of the Eastern Economic Forum (WEF-5) in Vladivostok (September 4-6, this year) as the guest of honour...". Explaining, "We expect that the President of Mongolia H Battulga, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia M Mohammad and the Prime Minister of Japan S Abe will arrive" in Vladivostok. Overall 3 Prime Ministers and one President will be attending the forum. The forum meeting that began in 2015 aims to garner investment in Russia's far east region. PM Modi will be going for the forum meeting as a special guest. Russian President Vladimir Putin had extended the invite during a telephonic conversation on January 1 and reiterated the invite during a conversation in February.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan not invited at Eastern Economic Forum, clarifies Russia

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