Arkhangelsk against the authorities
Despite temperatures of minus 25, information boycott by the local media and pressure from the authorities, more than 3000 people on Sunday gathered in the central square of Arkhangelsk in the biggest regional protest rally in 10 years.
The meeting took place only two weeks after more than ten thousand people gathered in the streets of another Northwest Russian city. In Kaliningrad, crowds demanded the resignation of the governor and shouted slogans against the ruling United Russia party. The Arkhangelsk demonstration was smaller, but not much different.
According to Rusnord.ru, a local independent news site, more than 3000 people gathered in downtown Arkhangelsk to protest against both regional and federal authorities. “Down with Putin and his United Russia” was one of the slogans. The protesters demanded the resignation of Governor Ilya Mikhalchuk, accusing him and his administration of corruption. They also demanded that the tariff increase on public services is put on halt.
As reported yesterday by BarentsObserver, the rally was initiated and organized by the Communist Party but supported also by other opposition parties and the trade unions.
Arkhangelsk has been one of the Russian regions worst hit by the financial crisis. As reported by BarentsObserver, budget revenues have dropped seriously creating major deficits and big cuts in public spending.
It is not the first time the population of Arkhangelsk shows discontent with local and regional authorities. The arrest and subsequent dismissal of former city mayor Aleksandr Donskoy in 2007 and the falsification of elections in 2008 sparked reactions locally and attracted attention all over the federation.
Mr. Donskoy was one the speakers in the protest. He said that raise of public tariffs help the politicians fuel their high level of corruption and that the tariff increase and the corruption thus is two sides of the same ill. –If we do not stop the corruption, there will be nothing left of the city, he stressed. He also mentioned the case of Yuri Shaimulov, the former deputy mayor who is now charged with having stolen 119 million RUB from the city budget.
In an interview with Rusnord.ru, Mr. Donskoy adds that the tariff element is only one part of the picture. He underlines that also the falsification of elections and the curbing of press freedom is characteristic of the regional authorities.
