Around 60 people were detained at a Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) rally in Moscow for chanting “For Fair Elections” and “Down with the Tsar.”

In Moscow, approximately 60 people were detained at a government-sanctioned Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) rally commemorating the anniversary of the 1993 White House shooting, the party reported . According to Ostorozhno Novosti, the rally at the monument to the heroes of the 1905 Revolution on Krasnopresnenskaya Zastava Square attracted approximately 2,000 participants.

Police officers detaining a protester in a crowded demonstration, with a group of onlookers in the background.

The arrests began after demonstrators began chanting slogans against United Russia, “For fair elections,” and “Down with the Tsar.” They also shouted “Down with the party of crooks and thieves,” “We want freedom,” “Down with Roskomnadzor,” “No to political repression,” and “Freedom for political prisoners,” SotaVision reports . According to eyewitnesses, upon hearing this, police officers “flew into the crowd” and began seizing people. Twenty-six members of the Communist Party, approximately 30 members of Yabloko, and several other activists were reportedly detained.

“We see a man lying there with people around him. And law enforcement officers are kicking him. Eventually, they pulled him out. A woman was grabbed by the hair, and she screamed. It was terrifying, just like in 1993,” eyewitnesses said.

The protest also called for the release of Izhevsk activist Dmitry Morozov. He had been seeking a rally against election fraud, but was detained by FSB officers on October 2. It was later revealed that a drug-related criminal case had been opened against Morozov. Furthermore, the protesters expressed support for Communist Party member Nikolai Bondarenko, who had been disqualified from the State Duma elections.

According to the unregistered Revolutionary Workers’ Party, those detained were taken to the Krasnopresnensky, Krasnoselsky, Meshchansky, and Tagansky police departments. Two Communist Party members were released.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation stated that they are working to free those detained and provide them with the necessary assistance. Meanwhile, Yabloko noted that they have no information about party members participating in the communist protest in Moscow.

(C)THE MOSCOW TIMES 2026