Support The Moscow Times!

City Hall Approves March 10 Opposition Rally on Novy Arbat

City Hall has given permission for an opposition rally with up to 50,000 participants to be held Saturday on the sidewalk of Novy Arbat in central Moscow, organizer Sergei Parkhomenko said on his blog Wednesday.

Rally organizers had earlier announced plans to request permission for a march on a route from Poklonnaya Gora to Novy Arbat, but on Tuesday dropped the idea in favor of a demonstration.

Novy Arbat, one of downtown Moscow's busiest thoroughfares, will not be closed ahead of time to car traffic, although police will close the road if the rally draws more people than will fit on the sidewalk, Parkhomenko said. The demonstration is set to last from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Vedomosti reported.

The most recent major opposition rally was held at Pushkin Square on Monday and drew over 20,000 participants. It ended with the arrest by police of around 250 activists, including opposition leaders Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin, and Udaltsov, after a group stayed on the square following the scheduled conclusion of the event.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more