Anti-corruption protests sweep Russia, with demonstrators being detained across the country.
June 12, a national holiday known as Russia Day, usually sees mass festivities to mark the occasion of the signing of the country鈥檚 declaration of independence in 1990. This year, those taking part in historical reenactments and the SamovarFest tea party in the capital saw some 5,000 anti-corruption protestors hijack the celebrations. According to the , some 200 protest permits were filed across the nation, and with 169 of these granted, cities all the way from Vladivostok to Norilsk saw protestors take to the streets. After the last-minute change of location rendred the Moscow protest unsanctioned, police had a free hand in detaining demonstrators, resulting in over alone.
Images of are becoming a . This time, even the massive inflatable duck was used to mock Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev鈥檚 custom-made duck house on one of his luxurious estates.
Alexei Navalny, Russia鈥檚 opposition leader at the head of the protests, was detained before he even got anywhere near to the rally and sentenced to . Under the likely assumption that President Vladimir Putin will run for re-election next year, Navalny intends to pose as his challenger. Navalny鈥檚 political involvement in uncovering and exposing corruption in Russian government, as well as galvanizing crowds on an unprecedented scale in hopes of promoting for the country, has seen him dragged through the courts and detention centers over the years.
As one protestor tells Al Jazeera, 鈥淐orruption is the biggest problem. Putin is the leader of the corruption 鈥� Putin and Medvedev, of course. Putin and corruption is the same word.鈥�
The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.
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