Putin Observes Naval Parade After Moscow Opposition Crackdown
President Vladimir Putin observed a large naval parade in Russia’s second city of St. Petersburg Sunday, a day after a harsh police crackdown on peaceful protesters in the capital.
Putin, who has overseen a restoration of Russia’s military, said the navy would add 15 vessels this year at celebrations that included a parade of more than 40 warships. During his prepared speech, he didn’t comment on the Moscow clashes, which monitors called the harshest crackdown on the opposition since a wave of anti-Kremlin protests in 2011-2012.
Police in riot gear beat protesters with batons and detained nearly 1,400 people on Saturday to disperse crowds in central Moscow unhappy with the exclusion of opposition candidates from the ballot for city council elections in September, according to monitoring organization OVD Info. The police said they detained 1,074 people.
Saturday’s protests, a week after an authorized rally drew over 20,000 people in the capital, appeared to energize the opposition despite the crackdown. Ilya Yashin, an opposition leader detained ahead of the protest for calling people to attend it, called for people to repeat the action on Aug. 3.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-28/putin-observes-naval-parade-after-moscow-opposition-crackdown
