Press release, 24.09.2018

On 22-23 September, rallies against the the government’s plan to raise the retirement age took place across Russia. Yabloko activists participated in protest actions in Sochi, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Barnaul, Murmansk, Chita, Penza, Bryansk, Lipetsk, Smolensk, Oryel and Stavropol.

Yabloko Deputy Chair Nikolai Rybakov addressed the audience at a rally in Novosibirsk. “When I participate in political talk shows, anchormen tell me that the most important issues for Russians are what is going on in the USA, in Syria and that all the world dislikes us. The aim of these shows is to discuss anything but what really is important. I do not understand why the government thinks it has the right to make decisions concerning our pension savings. The money in our pension accounts is our money. This is not the government’s allowance, this is the money we have earned. Our employers transferred this money to our accounts in the Pension Fund. The government has no right to dispose of this money,” he said.

“I do not understand why officials and MPs have high salaries while high profile doctors and teachers have extremely low salaries. I disapprove of this state of affairs. We need a fair pension system. The government must raise salaries rather than the retirement age. Our President constantly lies to the hold world and to the citizens of our country. He promised he would not raise the retirement age. I am an idealist when it comes to politics. Many people tell me you cannot be an idealist in politics but I believe that if you gave a promise you must fulfil it. If you, Mr President, promised not to raise the retirement age while you are in office, it is dishonest to do so.

Friends, life is very complex. We cannot support the war in Syria and spend enormous money on it, where our soldiers die, and at the same time approve of Putin’s policy saying that he is only wrong about the pension reform. We must come to an understanding that Putin’s policy outlived itself. When we honestly say that his time is up, changes will come and we will have a different policy,” the politician stated.

About 500 people participated in the protest action in Astrakhan.

A protest action also took place in Penza where people came with placards saying that “No pension reform in Russia”, “Help your government – die before you retire”, “Raise pensions rather than the retirement age”, “We do not want to die at work”, etc. Chair of the regional Yabloko branch Konstantin Kravchenko made a speech at the rally.

“The authorities in the persons of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev have once again shown their inconsistency by making a decision to raise the retirement age.

Almost nothing has been done over the course of 18 years and our economy is dependent of oil and gas.

All our problems arise because there is no alteration of power,” the politician said.

The protest action in Stavropol was held on 23 September. Party activist handed out leaflets demanding that the pension reform must be cancelled.

Over 2000 people took to the streets in Barnaul to express disagreement with the government’s plan to raise the retirement age.

Yabloko branch in Bashkiria held a series of one-person pickets in 5 cities of the republic – in Ufa, Neftekamsk, Oktyabrsky, Sibay and Sterlitamak.

Yabloko will hold a picket by the State Duma on 26 September to protest against the pension reform.