THREAD: Some iconic images of today's pension protests in Russia
rferl.org/a/russians-vot…
Nearly 1,000 people were detained by police, including children and the elderly.
2./ The protests were over the pension age being raised in Russia. This elderly man later collapsed.
3./ People around the world were shocked at scenes of police brutality, when ordinary Russians took to the streets without weapons. Crowds shouted "Putin is a thief!" #Россия #Москва #СанктПетербург
4./ Many of the scenes on social media came from Moscow, but @RFERL reported the largest demonstrations were in St. Petersburg where over 300 Russians were arrested. @AlexKokcharov posted this photo #СанктПетербург
5./ In cities across Russia, the unrest was real but peaceful protests were countered with overwhelming force. Russia's babushkas, or grandmothers, face a massive hike in the pension age from 55 to 63. #Россия #Москва #СанктПетербург news.sky.com/story/russians…
6./ But the protests involved ordinary Russians of every age. This young man was climbing a lamp pole in St. Petersburg when he was arrested. #Россия #Москва #СанктПетербург
7./ The Russian pension protestors were seen all around the world, although Putin arrested journalists for reporting them. Here former US Ambassador to Russia @McFaul shows a policeman dragging off a little girl.
8./ In many cases, riot police beat protestors with batons. According to reports, Russian families have relied on these pensions when young people could not find jobs.
9./ When riot police were not enough to contain protestors, the Russian military were called in. Russian media said there were protests in Eastern Russia and Siberia as well as major cities. #Россия #Москва #СанктПетербург
10./ Clouds of smoke cover police in riot gear trying to contain protests in Moscow. @navalny had called for the pension protests a month prior. British news called it 'the most unpopular government measure since 2005.' #Россия #Москва #СанктПетербург
Worldwide news coverage noted Putin's approval rating has plunged by 15 points. This sign reads "Putin or Pension?" #Россия #Москва #Путин вор #СанктПетербург news.sky.com/story/russians…
12./ The scale of the demonstrations was massive. Reports said protests took place in 11 Russian time zones, with chants of "shame, shame!" Here are some crowds in Moscow. #Россия #Москва #Путинвор #СанктПетербург
13./ Lastly, one of many images of Putin's @Mod_Russia soldiers abusing Russian children and teens engaged in unarmed protest over a massive national pension hike. Many Russians rely on these pensions to eat. #Россия #Москва #Путин #СанктПетербург
/Ends
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