About 60 Detained at Moscow Communist Rally After Chants of ‘Down With the Tsar’

About 60 people were detained at an authorized Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) rally in Moscow after participants began chanting slogans calling for fair elections, political freedoms and “Down with the Tsar,” the party and Russian media reported. The Sunday, Oct. 4 rally, held to mark the anniversary of the 1993 shelling of Russia’s parliament, was approved by Moscow authorities. It took place near the Monument to the Heroes of the 1905 Revolution in Krasnopresnenskaya Zastava Square and drew between several hundred and about 2,000 participants, according to varying estimates.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The KPRF said about 60 people were detained as the rally was ending. The party said its Moscow branch was working to secure their release and provide legal assistance. According to the Russian Telegram channels Ostorozhno, Novosti, SOTAvision, and OVD-Info, detentions intensified after demonstrators began chanting slogans including “Down with the Tsar,” “For fair elections,” “We want freedom,” “Down with Roskomnadzor,” “No to political repression,” and “Freedom for political prisoners.” Reports cited by OVD-Info said 26 KPRF members, around 30 members of the Yabloko party, and several other activists were among those detained. The detainees were taken to several police stations across Moscow. Eyewitnesses described police moving into the crowd and forcibly detaining demonstrators. OVD-Info reported allegations that officers kicked one person who had fallen to the ground and pulled another participant away by the hair. Other Topics of Interest Did Ukraine Use Pelican Ballistic Missile to Strike Moscow? Zelensky announced the combat debut of Ukraine’s Pelican ballistic missile, but what exactly is the Pelican? The KPRF said it was working to secure the release of those detained. Yabloko, meanwhile, said it had no information confirming that its members had participated in the Communist Party rally. Some detainees were reportedly released, while others remained at police stations pending court hearings, according to Russian media reports. Calls for political prisoners’ release Participants at the rally also called for the release of Izhevsk activist Dmitry Morozov, who was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) on Friday, Oct. 2 after campaigning for a rally against alleged election fraud. Russian media later reported that a criminal case involving drug charges had been opened against him. Protesters also expressed support for KPRF member Nikolai Bondarenko, who was barred from running in the State Duma elections. The rally was organized to commemorate those killed during the October 1993 political crisis, when then-President Boris Yeltsin ordered the military to shell the parliament building, known as the White House, after a standoff with lawmakers. The KPRF, Russia’s main parliamentary opposition party, has remained broadly aligned with the Kremlin on major foreign-policy issues, including its support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, while occasionally criticizing domestic government policies. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.