Another protest, another violent crackdown

On the ground at Moscow’s August 3 march for fair elections

On August 3, the latest in a series of protests for fair elections took place in Moscow, with protesters demanding that opposition candidates be freed from jail and permitted to run for Moscow City Duma seats. The demonstration’s organizers called on Moscow residents to march en masse along the city’s Boulevard Ring. Most of the protesters gathered on Trubnaya Square and Pushkin Square, where police and National Guard troops immediately began to arrest them in large numbers. At least 800 people were violently forced into police vans and taken into custody. Preliminary reports indicate that more than 10 of those arrested were also injured. Here’s what the protest looked like on the ground.