Troops Deployed in Moscow to Deal with Anti Putin Protests
December 6th, 2011Putin should just wow-em with some more action man antics.
Via: BBC:
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has played down his party’s losses at Sunday’s parliamentary election as inevitable for a party in power.
Thousands of police and interior troops are on alert in Moscow, after one of the biggest opposition rallies in the city centre for years.
Police made 300 arrests as protesters chanted “Russia without Putin”.
Among those held was Alexei Navalny, a top anti-corruption campaigner and fierce critic of Mr Putin.
A counter-demonstration by Putin supporters was held beside Red Square on Tuesday amid reports that opposition supporters were planning a new protest.
…
Interior ministry spokesman Oleg Yelnikov told AFP news agency that “as many [troops] as required” would police Moscow.
He said security forces would remain on a “heightened regime” of alert until all the votes in the election were counted, adding that some 11,500 interior ministry troops would ensure order across the country.
A Moscow police spokesman separately told AFP that up to 4,000 police and interior ministry troops would be deployed to ensure order in Moscow alone on Tuesday.
