Why People Are Protesting In Russia

Thousands of protesters across Russia took to the streets on Sunday, March 26 to demonstrate against corruption in the government and demand that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev resign from his position.

The protests against the Kremlin were the most extensive show of defiance in several years, according to The New York Times. The Moscow Police Department said on its website “around 500” people have been arrested in the city for taking part in an “unapproved public event.”

Among those detained was opposition leader and President Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic Alexei Navalny, who called for the Sunday demonstrations following his report that Prime Minister Medvedev has quietly amassed an “empire” of assets.

Russian officials seemed to hope fear would keep people away from the protests. A senior Russian police official warned citizens in the country that authorities would “bear no responsibility for any possible negative consequences” for anyone who showed up. Additionally, police said participating in the protest was illegal.

Nevertheless, scores of people protested in cities from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg. Here is what you need to know about today’s protests across Russia.