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As Putin’s Popularity Soars, Voices of Opposition Are Being Drowned Out As Putin’s Popularity Soars, Voices of Opposition Are Being Drowned Out
(about 5 hours later)
MOSCOW — There were two large rallies on Saturday in Moscow. One was a pro-government rally “in support of Crimea and against fascism,” led by a phalanx of husky men in identical crimson jackets, marching military-style in a sea of red. Some held signs reading “No Maidan in Moscow” and “Glory to Berkut,” references to Independence Square, the site of the Ukrainian protests in Kiev, and to the riot police who cracked down on the protesters.MOSCOW — There were two large rallies on Saturday in Moscow. One was a pro-government rally “in support of Crimea and against fascism,” led by a phalanx of husky men in identical crimson jackets, marching military-style in a sea of red. Some held signs reading “No Maidan in Moscow” and “Glory to Berkut,” references to Independence Square, the site of the Ukrainian protests in Kiev, and to the riot police who cracked down on the protesters.
The other was called a “March for Peace,” convened by the opposition to President Vladimir V. Putin. Holding paper doves aloft, they chanted “Putin Is Afraid of the Maidan” and a Ukrainian phrase that translates as “Putin, Get Out!” The police estimated that there were 3,000 people in this crowd, but it seemed many times larger, in the tens of thousands, filling a boulevard with bodies for many blocks. The split reaction here reflects domestic tensions. Mr. Putin, who was shaken by large antigovernment demonstrations in Moscow two years ago, is using the confrontation to consolidate the public behind his rule, tapping into the deep well of emotion about the Soviet Union’s suffering at the hands of Nazi Germany. The authorities have tried to mobilize support on federal television channels, and have muted independent voices on the Internet.The other was called a “March for Peace,” convened by the opposition to President Vladimir V. Putin. Holding paper doves aloft, they chanted “Putin Is Afraid of the Maidan” and a Ukrainian phrase that translates as “Putin, Get Out!” The police estimated that there were 3,000 people in this crowd, but it seemed many times larger, in the tens of thousands, filling a boulevard with bodies for many blocks. The split reaction here reflects domestic tensions. Mr. Putin, who was shaken by large antigovernment demonstrations in Moscow two years ago, is using the confrontation to consolidate the public behind his rule, tapping into the deep well of emotion about the Soviet Union’s suffering at the hands of Nazi Germany. The authorities have tried to mobilize support on federal television channels, and have muted independent voices on the Internet.
Last week, in the midst of the Crimean crisis and on the heels of the Sochi Olympics, Mr. Putin’s approval rating had increased to 71.6 percent, the highest point since he returned to the presidency in 2012, according to a poll released by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion last week.Last week, in the midst of the Crimean crisis and on the heels of the Sochi Olympics, Mr. Putin’s approval rating had increased to 71.6 percent, the highest point since he returned to the presidency in 2012, according to a poll released by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion last week.
It is common for Russians — even liberal ones — to say that Crimea is Russian land to begin with, mistakenly transferred to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954. But some supporters who marched on Saturday saw Mr. Putin’s agenda as a far more sweeping one, which would see Russia reclaim lands it lost in the 20th century.It is common for Russians — even liberal ones — to say that Crimea is Russian land to begin with, mistakenly transferred to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954. But some supporters who marched on Saturday saw Mr. Putin’s agenda as a far more sweeping one, which would see Russia reclaim lands it lost in the 20th century.
“It’s not just that Crimea should join Russia — we should restore the whole Soviet Union, and I think this what Putin wants,” said Sergei Prokopenko, 40, who said he worked occasionally at a warehouse.“It’s not just that Crimea should join Russia — we should restore the whole Soviet Union, and I think this what Putin wants,” said Sergei Prokopenko, 40, who said he worked occasionally at a warehouse.
On a stage in Revolution Square, the pro-Kremlin theater director and conservative agitator Sergei Y. Kurginyan stirred up the crowd, saying, “We must rally together and state that there will be no Maidan in Moscow.”On a stage in Revolution Square, the pro-Kremlin theater director and conservative agitator Sergei Y. Kurginyan stirred up the crowd, saying, “We must rally together and state that there will be no Maidan in Moscow.”
He passed on reports from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where two people were fatally shot Friday night during a raid on a house said to be a base for radical nationalists.He passed on reports from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where two people were fatally shot Friday night during a raid on a house said to be a base for radical nationalists.
“The violence is escalating,” Mr. Kurginyan said. “We are getting more and more information. Once again blood has been shed. Once again there is violence, everywhere violence. I am appealing to people who really don’t like it when we speak of our ideology. We are not talking about ideology right now, my dear ones. I am talking about your civil rights.”“The violence is escalating,” Mr. Kurginyan said. “We are getting more and more information. Once again blood has been shed. Once again there is violence, everywhere violence. I am appealing to people who really don’t like it when we speak of our ideology. We are not talking about ideology right now, my dear ones. I am talking about your civil rights.”
Across town, at the antiwar march, the turnout was higher than many expected, and some women wore flower garlands in their hair, like Ukrainian folk dancers. Opponents of intervention in Ukraine have found themselves isolated as the crisis has mounted, and several marchers acknowledged that differences over Crimea had split their families or social circles. But the large crowd — numbers that the Kremlin could not ignore — made the mood buoyant.Across town, at the antiwar march, the turnout was higher than many expected, and some women wore flower garlands in their hair, like Ukrainian folk dancers. Opponents of intervention in Ukraine have found themselves isolated as the crisis has mounted, and several marchers acknowledged that differences over Crimea had split their families or social circles. But the large crowd — numbers that the Kremlin could not ignore — made the mood buoyant.
“With Crimea, it is obvious that, in my view, it was a historic mistake to make it part of Ukraine, but the way Russia is trying to get it back is a mistake two times bigger,” said Andrei A. Yegorshev, a journalist at a state radio station.“With Crimea, it is obvious that, in my view, it was a historic mistake to make it part of Ukraine, but the way Russia is trying to get it back is a mistake two times bigger,” said Andrei A. Yegorshev, a journalist at a state radio station.
Elisabeth Mouravieff, 73, said she had joined the march in spite of her conviction that “Crimea is Russia.” She said Mr. Putin was being driven by his “imperial mood” and the sense that his own government could face a wave of protest like the one that toppled Ukraine’s president.Elisabeth Mouravieff, 73, said she had joined the march in spite of her conviction that “Crimea is Russia.” She said Mr. Putin was being driven by his “imperial mood” and the sense that his own government could face a wave of protest like the one that toppled Ukraine’s president.
“I came because I couldn’t not come,” she said. “The atmosphere is darkening. It is troubling. It is very frightening that the authorities are provoking violence between Russians and Ukrainians. I also came because of my anger at the lies of the mass media.”“I came because I couldn’t not come,” she said. “The atmosphere is darkening. It is troubling. It is very frightening that the authorities are provoking violence between Russians and Ukrainians. I also came because of my anger at the lies of the mass media.”
It has been a grim few weeks for Russian liberals, whose burst of influence during the antigovernment protests of 2011 and 2012 has melted away.It has been a grim few weeks for Russian liberals, whose burst of influence during the antigovernment protests of 2011 and 2012 has melted away.
While the world’s attention is trained on Ukraine, the Russian authorities are cracking down on independent news outlets here, and scores of young journalists — a group that drove the protests — are facing unemployment. Several major cable and Internet providers have dropped the liberal-leaning news broadcaster Dozhd, a flagship project that began when Dmitri A. Medvedev was president, and its general director has announced that it will close within two months.While the world’s attention is trained on Ukraine, the Russian authorities are cracking down on independent news outlets here, and scores of young journalists — a group that drove the protests — are facing unemployment. Several major cable and Internet providers have dropped the liberal-leaning news broadcaster Dozhd, a flagship project that began when Dmitri A. Medvedev was president, and its general director has announced that it will close within two months.
On Wednesday, the editor of a respected independent news site, Lenta.ru, was abruptly replaced with a pro-government journalist after the site published an interview with a Ukrainian nationalist. Thirty-nine of the site’s 84 employees resigned in solidarity.On Wednesday, the editor of a respected independent news site, Lenta.ru, was abruptly replaced with a pro-government journalist after the site published an interview with a Ukrainian nationalist. Thirty-nine of the site’s 84 employees resigned in solidarity.
On Thursday, three opposition websites and a blog were blocked by the government’s communications watchdog, the first use of a new law that came into effect last month, which allows sites to be blocked without a court order. Ominously, several Internet providers also temporarily blocked access to the website of Ekho Moskvy, the radio station that has served as the primary gathering place for liberal intellectuals since the days of Boris N. Yeltsin in the 1990s.On Thursday, three opposition websites and a blog were blocked by the government’s communications watchdog, the first use of a new law that came into effect last month, which allows sites to be blocked without a court order. Ominously, several Internet providers also temporarily blocked access to the website of Ekho Moskvy, the radio station that has served as the primary gathering place for liberal intellectuals since the days of Boris N. Yeltsin in the 1990s.
Maria Baranova, an opposition activist who works at Dozhd, said that at some point it had all become too much for her. Maria Baronova, an opposition activist who works at Dozhd, said that at some point it had all become too much for her.
“To be honest, I drank yesterday as if it was the last time,” she wrote on Twitter. “For the first time in my life, I drank not in the framework of fun, but simply so that I would not think.”“To be honest, I drank yesterday as if it was the last time,” she wrote on Twitter. “For the first time in my life, I drank not in the framework of fun, but simply so that I would not think.”