Russia's Protests Intensify and Governance is Getting Worse
In Russia, protests are increasing and the quality of government is falling, says Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
The newspaper refers to data disseminated by the Committee on Civic Initiatives of former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin. The visible increase in protests in Russian regions in the first half of the year is marked mainly by anti-corruption and law enforcement actions, according to the authors of the report.
The anti-corruption agenda is dictated by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, reminds the publication. According to experts, the events organized by his team end the downward trend in political protests in Russia, highlighted in 2014. Administrative stability in individual regions is deteriorating due to the shifts of governors and other rockers on local peaks. This year, two Russian regional leaders, eight vice-governors or vice-presidents of local governments and one mayor of a regional capital have been arrested, the BBC quoted Nezavisimaya Gazeta as saying.