Moscow opposition candidates express support for government-approved August 10 protest but demand right for protesters to ‘walk around city’ outside approved area

Lyubov Sobol, an opposition activist whose application to register as a Moscow City Duma candidate was rejected, has announced that the city’s next election protest will take place within the area prescribed by police on Sakharov Prospect. However, she said, police are also obligated to protect demonstrators’ rights to “walk around their city,” hinting that protesters should be able to march beyond the designated protest area if they wish.

After a series of protests that did not receive official permits, leaving thousands of protesters vulnerable to arrest, the process of negotiating a permit for the August 10 demonstration has been accompanied by noticeable tension. At first, City Hall officials announced that protest organizer Elena Rusakova had agreed to a government-approved event only for Rusakova herself to deny those reports. However, Rusakova, who also submitted an unsuccessful application to run for the Moscow City Duma, later announced that an agreement for August 10 had been reached. Moscow City Hall has also approved a protest for August 11.

Since mid-July, Muscovites have regularly protested for fair elections to the Moscow City Duma. The demonstrations have resulted in thousands of arrests, and local investigators have opened multiple felony cases in an apparent effort to deter further unpermitted protests.