On Thursday, November 4, Moscow police arrested around 20 people in the Pushkinskaya Subway Station. The detainees were suspected of planning to take part in an unsanctioned nationalist rally — the annual “Russian March” that usually takes place on Unity Day. According to Dozhd television, another four suspected demonstrators were detained at the Oktyabrskoye Polye Subway Station, which is located near where the Russian March took place in past years. Russian nationalist groups typically hold demonstrations in various cities across the country to mark the national Unity Day holiday on November 4. The Moscow authorities also refused to authorize the rally in 2020, citing pandemic restrictions. The Russian March has been criticized for racism and xenophobia in the past.
Maxim Shipenkov / EPA / Scanpix / LETA