Thousands March In Support Of Arrested Khabarovsk Governor

Thousands of people took to the streets of Russia’s Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk to protest the arrest of their regional governor on murder charges, chanting slogans against President Vladimir Putin. Supporters of Sergei Furgal on July 11 gathered for a spontaneous demonstration before marching to the regional government office, carrying posters with slogans such as "I Am Sergei Furgal" and shouting "Putin's a thief!" Estimates by local media and the opposition put the number of demonstrators at between 5,000 and 35,000 – seen as a notable amount for a city of 600,000. A member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Furgal was elected in 2018 against a candidate supported by Putin in a major upset of the ruling United Russia party. Furgal has been placed in pretrial detention until September on charges of attempted murder and ordering the killing of two local businessmen in 2004-5 – charges he denies.