Moscow police detained around 60 people on Sunday during a Communist Party rally commemorating the 1993 constitutional crisis, after the event spiraled into a protest against alleged fraud during last month’s parliamentary elections.
An estimated 2,000 people gathered for an annual memorial honoring those killed during an Oct. 4, 1993, standoff when President Boris Yeltsin ordered tanks to shell the Supreme Soviet parliament building to dissolve opposition to his administration.
Eyewitnesses told the Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti that police officers charged into the crowd after chants of slogans like “Down with the Tsar!” “Freedom for political prisoners!” and “For fair elections!” broke out against the ruling United Russia party.
United Russia won a record number of seats in the State Duma during the country’s first wartime parliamentary elections last month. The Communist Party — the largest Kremlin-approved systemic opposition faction — won fewer seats than in previous elections.
The Communist Party said 65 “mostly young people” were detained at the tail end of the rally on Sunday afternoon.
“Efforts are underway to release the detainees and provide them with the necessary help,” the party said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
Senior Communist Party lawmaker Dmitry Novikov said that officers began releasing some detainees later on Sunday evening.
The independent outlet Sotavision reported that authorities held several participants overnight pending court hearings.
News outlets underscored that authorities had approved the rally.
The exiled outlet Agentstvo reported that these were the largest detentions at a Communist Party rally since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
On Monday morning, Communist Party leadership issued a statement challenging the voting process and electoral pressure on its candidates.
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