2017–2018 Russian protests

The 2017–2018 Russian protests were a long series of countrywide street protest actions and demonstrations in the Russian Federation, which were primarily concerned with suppressing corruption in the Russian government (from 26 March 2017 through spring 2018) and abandoning the planned increase of retirement age (from 14 June 2018 through the end of 2018).

2017–2018 Russian protests
Rallies all across Russia, March–June 2017
Clockwise from top left
Date
26 March 2017 – 28 October 2018
  • 26–28 March 2017
  • 29 April 2017
  • 14 May 2017 (in Moscow)
  • 12 June 2017
  • 7 October 2017
  • 5 November 2017
  • 28 January 2018
  • March–May 2018 (in Moscow Oblast suburbs)
  • 27 March 2018 (in Kemerovo)
  • 2 April 2018 (in Yekaterinburg)
  • 30 April 2018 (in Moscow)
  • 1 May 2018 (in Saint Petersburg)
  • 5 May 2018
  • 13 May 2018 (in Moscow)
  • 1 July 2018
  • 29 July 2018
  • 15 August 2018 (in Moscow)
  • 9 September 2018
  • 17 September 2018 (in Vladivostok)
  • 28 October 2018 (in Saint Petersburg)
Location
More than 154 сities and towns across Russia
Caused by
In Yekaterinburg:
In Moscow:
  • Inadequate planned demolition of apartments in Moscow (since April 2017)
  • An ecological catastrophe unfolding around the Moscow, subsequently led to mass poisoning of children due to leakage of toxic substances from the landfill in Volokolamsk (since March 2018)
In Kemerovo:
In Vladivostok:
  • Massive election fraud in several eastern regions (since September 2018)
In Saint Petersburg:
  • Inadequate plans of urban development
  • Imprisoning of children, convicted because of the provocation, made by state special services
Goals
  • Resignation of Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, and his government
  • Allowing Navalny to participate in 2018 presidential elections (until March 2018)
  • Unblocking of Telegram messenger (since April 2018)
  • Cancellation of the raising of the retirement age (since June 2018)
In Yekaterinburg:
In Moscow:
  • Stop demolition of Moscow apartments (since April 2017)
  • Close the garbage landfills around the Moscow
In Kemerovo:
  • Resignation of Governor of Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev (since March 2018)
In Vladivostok:
  • Discarding of election results in several eastern regions (since September 2018)
In Saint Petersburg:
  • Revision of inadequate plans of urban development
  • Justify and release children from the prison, convicted because of the provocation, made by state special services
MethodsDemonstration, internet activism
Resulted in
  • Seven all-national rallies has taken place, covering more than 100 cities
  • Navalny has been arrested three times on charges of violating the rules of organization of the rally – firstly for 15 days, then for 25 days, then for 20 days
  • Chairman of the Federation Council has proposed to forbid for kids to participate in protest rallies
  • Governor of Kemerovo Aman Tuleyev resigned
  • Retirement age raising reduced from 63 to 60 for women
  • Repressive laws easing that allows some politically convicted activists to avoid imprisoning
  • Charges against Ivan Golunov dropped
Parties

Russian opposition

Truck drivers, student activists, Moscow homeowners, and population of Moscow region, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Kemerovo, among others
Lead figures
Number
Moscow:
15,000–25,000+
Saint Petersburg:
6,000–10,000+
Novosibirsk:
2,000–5,000+
Yekaterinburg:
1,000–5,000
Across Russia:
150,000
(according to the FBK)
Unknown
Casualties
Death(s)0
Injuries2 police officers and 1 national guard trooper
Arrested26 March 2017: 1,030–2,000+
29 April 2017: 200
12 June 2017: 1,769
7 October 2017: 136–290
5 November 2017: 448
28 January 2018: 266–371
5 May 2018: 1,600+

The anti-corruption protests began in March 2017 but were joined by and overlapped the 2018 Russian pension protests. The anti-corruption protests were primarily led by Alexey Navalny, who was joined by well-known participants such as the Libertarian Party, Open Russia, and Artpodgotovka. They occurred as a result of the 2014–2016 Russian financial crisis aftermath, although they had their root in the corruption at the different levels up to the highest echelons of the Russian power.

The protests and demonstrations against corruption in the Russian government began in March 2017 after the release of the investigative film He Is Not Dimon to You by Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, which had garnered more than 23 million views on YouTube. Discontentment was triggered by the alleged corrupt activity of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as presented in the film, the inadequately planned demolition of apartments in Moscow and the protracted strikes of truck drivers related to the Platon toll system, which had been ongoing since 2015.

National protests against corruption in Russia took place simultaneously in more than 100 cities across the country on 26 March 2017. By Sunday evening, riot police in body armor and helmets had detained more than 1000 demonstrators in central Moscow, as the crowd, numbering in the tens of thousands, cheered, whistled and chanted "Shame!", "Medvedev, resign!", and "Putin is a thief!" The Levada Centre survey showed that 38% of surveyed Russians supported the protests and that 67% held Putin "entirely" or "to a large extent" responsible for high-level corruption.

A new wave of mass protests occurred on 12 June 2017. After the arrest of Navalny on 29 September, hours before a planned rally in Nizhny Novgorod, a new wave of protests was announced for 7 October, the birthday of Putin. Protests and uprisings continued in 2018, with the tendency to radicalization, and a record number of protesters was detained on 5 May, two days before Putin's inauguration. Mass rallies were held in more than 60 cities across Russia.

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