Yes, here we come

As planned, on September 15, the March of Millions started in Moscow from Pushkin Square. The left, nationalist and liberal columns are marching, at the head of the first is the coordinator of the Left Front Sergei Udaltsov and still a Duma deputy from A Just Russia Ilya Ponomarev, at the head of the third is one of the leaders of RPR-PARNAS Boris Nemtsov, Solidarity activist Ilya Yashin, leader of the United Civil Front Garry Kasparov. Observers note that the nationalist column is the most impressive, with many teenagers in it. However, eyewitnesses report that many got into this column by accident. Various publications report that the rally was attended by the now former deputy from A Just Russia Gennady Gudkov (he also stood at the head of the left column), his son, still a deputy from the same faction Dmitry Gudkov, one of the leaders of the nationalists, a failed candidate for mayor of Kaliningrad Dmitry Demushkin, Alexey Navalny, Commissioner for Human Rights Vladimir Lukin. Ksenia Sobchak reports on Twitter that the mobile phones of Yashin and Sergei Parkhomenko are redirected: an unknown voice reports that the owner of the phone has been detained. Parkhomenko confirms the information about redirection (not about detention). Photographs from the march show people in the uniform of the airborne troops and marines: the paratroopers advocate for the release of Colonel Leonid Khabarov, accused of preparing a coup. It was repeatedly noted that the March of Millions was officially supported by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation for the first time (let us recall, however, that the secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Evgeny Dorovin, actively participated in the preparation of the opposition march in February), although the party leaders stated that they would not come to the rally.

The Yabloko party, which did not want to march with the left and nationalists (however, party representatives are meeting at the march), former presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov and former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, previously announced their non-participation in the rally.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs claims that 5 thousand people came to the march, later they said about 11 thousand, then - about the rally on Sakharov Avenue - about 14 thousand. Considering similar messages from the Ministry of Internal Affairs about previous events, one can be almost one hundred percent sure that there will be more people. The question is how much. According to the Ridus agency, the number of those gathered has already exceeded 25 thousand people - the number that the event organizers agreed on with the Moscow authorities. Ilya Ponomarev’s assistant Danila Lindele claims that 15 thousand came. The Moscow News correspondent claims that in any case there are fewer people than at the previous March, which took place along the same route on June 12. Lindale later stated that there were more people than on June 12. We also note that the organizers, for their part, like to inflate the number of people who came.

There was a clash with representatives of the Eurasian Youth Union, who announced that they would march in the March of Billions towards the “occupiers” with silver bullets. A clash, according to Moscow News, actually occurred, but the police detained the Eurasians. Not without provocateurs, the US flag was taken away from them.

As Novaya Gazeta reports, at the turn from the boulevards to Sakharov Avenue, where the rally is supposed to begin, the organizers of the march themselves, without the help of the police, divide the crowd, letting people through in parts so that there is no crush.

Observers note that there are few posters and less creativity at the march than in previous times. Most of all, of course, the authors of the posters are taking revenge on Putin’s legendary flight with the Siberian Cranes. It is also noted that the slogans “Freedom for political prisoners!” and even “Freedom for Pussy Riot!” people pick up more readily than “Russia without Putin!” Another part of the posters, of course, is dedicated to the Pussy Riot cause.

By about 15.30, an impressive part of those gathered had reached Sakharov Avenue, but Yashin announced from the stage that people were continuing to arrive, there were a lot of them, so the start of the rally was delayed (the official start time was at 16.00). Nationalists under the imperial flag break through to the stage, there was a clash between the right and the anarchists, not without police intervention. Yet the rally soon began even before the official start time. Presenters: Yashin and representative of the Russian Socialist Party Isabel Makgoeva. The first to speak was Ilya Ponomarev, who spoke about the upcoming regional elections in October, problems of housing and communal services, education, medicine, and low wages. He was replaced by writer Sergei Shargunov, he spoke about the need to travel around the country and talk with people. Next - candidate for mayor of Khimki Evgenia Chirikova, Gudkov Sr., who said that the position of power is weakening and joint actions of protest forces are needed, writer Dmitry Bykov, Boris Nemtsov, who joined the demands of the socialists - the right to strike, an end to the increase in housing and communal services tariffs , activist of the Occupy Abay movement Alisa Obraztsova, the father of one of those arrested in the May 6 case Artem Savelov, Alexey Navalny (his speech turned out to be the longest), one of the leaders of the Russian movement Alexander Belov (Potkin) (he came on stage holding a in the hands of the boy Misha, whose family, according to Belov (Potkin), lost their apartment, and whose mother was forced to pay alimony for maintenance in an orphanage), Garry Kasparov. Moscow News notes that three hundred meters from the main stage a rally of the RotFront movement is taking place. Another leader of RPR-PARNAS, Mikhail Kasyanov, left the rally without speaking. By 16.30, some people had already begun to disperse, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that there had been a significant outflow of people and the number of people had dropped from 14 again to 11 thousand.

After a short musical pause, the presenters changed, they became Alisa Obraztsova and Gudkov Jr. (later they were replaced by the representative of the nationalist forces Natalya Pelevina and Solidarity activist Sergei Davidis). Sergei Udaltsov took the stage. His question “Who is in favor of staying here longer?” was met with silence, but some hands went up. Let us remind you that the rally officially continues until 10 p.m., but Udaltsov explained that the rally is actually over, and now (at about 5 p.m.) the Maidan begins. Udaltsov explained that he came wearing black glasses because he was no longer white and kind, but angry and furious. His speech turned out to be even longer than Navalny’s. Next speakers were Pussy Riot lawyer, Solidarity activist Mark Feigin, manager Nikolai Levshits, who went to Krymsk as a volunteer, nationalist Ilya Konstantinov, whose son Daniil is in prison on suspicion of murder, representative of the Teacher trade union Andrei Demidov, pilot, hero of Russia Sergei Nefedov. Then Solidarity activist, one of the organizers of the action, Pyotr Tsarkov, read the resolution of the rally. Udaltsov announced that the next action will take place on October 20. Meanwhile, people continue to disperse. By 18.00, according to Moscow News, several thousand people remained on the square. The nationalists formed a column (of one hundred people) and, chanting “Glory to Rus'!”, walked towards the Turgenevskaya metro station.

After another musical break, in which Udaltsov himself took part, his colleague on the Left Front, Alexey Sakhnin, spoke, who again outlined the need to fight for a new program and demand social rights. The leader of the trade union of Salyut plant workers, who are trying to be evicted from their dormitory, spoke, the coordinator of the White Ribbon movement, one of the leaders of the Tajik opposition, who called on Russia not to support the country's President Emomali Rakhmonov, RosAgit representative Vadim Korovin, who proposed October 7, his birthday Putin, hold pickets near the presidential administration building. Udaltsov said that a certain second shift of the March of Millions was heading to the avenue. Meanwhile, according to Interfax, Navalny, Yashin and Kasparov left.

Two Marches of Millions took place in St. Petersburg (the organizers did not agree with each other), which in total, according to Lenta.ru, totaled a thousand people (according to other sources, slightly more).

But in Nizhny Novgorod, a rally on Freedom Square was dispersed after someone threw a bottle at the speakers’ megaphone. About 20 people were detained, ovdinfo.org reports. The protester, Other Russia activist Ekaterina Zaitseva, was hit on the head with a police rubber baton, and an ambulance was called. The video clearly shows the face of the riot policeman who struck her and then pretended that he had nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, as reported by Novye Izvestia, the deputy chief of police of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Andrei Shmonin, told reporters that Zaitseva became worried before a possible arrest, and she felt ill, so she was taken to an ambulance for examination. I might also add that she hit her head herself or even deliberately hit something.