Sergei Furgal, the former governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk region of Russia whose arrest in 2020 caused months-long protests, has launched a hunger strike. Furgal, who is charged with attempted murder and ordering two killings in 2004 and 2005, went on trial in May. He has rejected any involvement. Furgal and his supporters insist the case against him is politically motivated. He faces a life sentence if convicted. Furgal, a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, was elected in 2018 after beating the region's longtime incumbent from the ruling United Russia party. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.
Former Russian Regional Governor Launches Hunger Strike As His Trial In Moscow Continues
Former Khabarovsk regional Governor Sergei Furgal (center) attends a court hearing in Moscow in March 2021.