The heightened security mode involved the creation of an operational headquarters for keeping public order and special security teams on the district level. Additional forces were also called up for service during the period that began March 1, making for a total of over 36,000 security officers on duty in the city, Lenta.ru reported.
Security forces were perhaps most visible in the city on election day, March 4, and during recent opposition events. After a March 5 opposition rally on Pushkin Square, OMON riot police surrounded participants of an unsanctioned event and detained hundreds of them.
The opposition has not announced plans for a major demonstration in the upcoming weeks.
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