Moscow Marches Despite Government Crackdown

Nationalists carry a huge flag of the Russian Empire as they take part in anti-Putin rally Tuesday in Moscow. Tens of thousands of protesters chanting ‘Russia will be free’ rallied against Putin’s third term despite a police crackdown on their leaders a day earlier. Photo by Andrey Smirnov/AFP/GettyImages

Tens of thousands of Moscovites took to the streets Tuesday in defiance of the Kremlin’s attempts to crack down on the opposition movement with stringent new laws and exorbitant fines. Protest leaders say the crowd was 120,000-strong, while police estimates were closer to 20,000.

On Tuesday’s NewsHour broadcast, Margaret Warner and guests will discuss the rally and efforts to tamp down opposition as Putin begins his third term leading the country.

In February, Margaret covered Russia’s elections from Moscow:

A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue.