10 2020 October, the
Khabarovsk security forces dispersed a peaceful rally in support of the arrested governor for the first time. Sergei Furgal. After this, the protests, which lasted three months, gradually began to fade away.
I was grabbed from both sides and roughly shoved into a police van. The two men in front of me had been detained very harshly—one was lying on the floor unconscious or nearly unconscious, the other had a broken nose, and the floor of the van was covered in blood. (correspondent for the online publication Newsader Alexey Filimonov)
After Furgal's arrest, residents Khabarovsk Protests were held every day. The first rallies attracted between 40 and 120 people, but by autumn this number had dropped to a few thousand.
Sergei Furgal was beloved in Khabarovsk. He rose to power from business and won the 2018 gubernatorial elections. He was remembered for streamlining government spending on officials: specifically, he cut his own salary, banned his subordinates from flying business class on business trips, and put the government yacht up for auction (saving a billion rubles in government expenses over two years). He expanded the powers of local deputies, including the ability to impeach the governor. He reinstated direct elections for district heads and became a symbol of the region's opposition to federal authority.
In July 2020, he was arrested on suspicion of contract killings of businessmen committed in the early 2000s. He pleaded not guilty and was sentenced to 22 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
The rally in support of Furgal, held on October 10, was the 92nd. Around midday (5 a.m. Moscow time), according to various reports, from 500 to 1500 people. They were holding posters in their hands. "Putin is our evil", "Europe, impose sanctions", "I/We are Sergei Furgal".
People also chanted “Policemen are parasites”: The day before, they tried to detain the pensioner, and she had an asthma attack.
After the rally participants held their traditional march through Khabarovsk's central streets, the majority of the crowd began to disperse. However, about 200 people returned to the square and began pitching tents.
The police threatened to use force if the demonstrators did not remove them. In response, the people continued to set up their tent city.
A few minutes later, riot police emerged from the government building and began beating protesters with batons and stun guns.
People tried to defend the tents and recapture the detainees, but the forces were unequal. [OMON] began brutally beating, grabbing, and dragging everyone away. (Vitaliy Blazhevich is an activist and participant in the protests)
Several people were injured, including the owner of the Furgalomobile (a minibus with propaganda posters).
In total, between 25 and 40 people were detained, including journalists and bloggers.
Two detained teenagers spoke of beatings and torture.
They made me kneel in the corner, mocked me, twisted my arms, and hit me in the eye.
A second rally took place in the evening outside the Khabarovsk Krai government building, protesting the harsh actions of security forces. About 500 people attended. Among the slogans were "Shame on the cops" и “Ain-zwei-police!”
Former police officer Roman Timirov He threw his departmental awards and certificate onto the steps of the government building—at the feet of his colleagues. The next day, another police officer followed his example. Vladimir Kulikov.
The riot police have fallen through the floor. Beating women is pure fascism.
Before this, there was no riot police in the government building; they appeared on October 10.
When [the police] tried to detain the grandmother the day before, they thought they'd provoke the crowd—they'd show up the next day angry, and someone would definitely lose their temper. But the crowd didn't lose their temper, they didn't rise to the provocation, and they'd already brought in the riot police. (Roman Timirov)
Since then, mass protests have gradually begun to subside, with only dozens of people taking part in the protests.
In July 2021, the authorities Khabarovsk Territory Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all outdoor events with more than 10 participants have been banned.
In April 2024, the Khabarovsk Regional Court recognized the public movement "I/We Sergey Furgal" as an extremist organization and banned it.
