Press Release, 13.06.2017

On the Day of Russia 12 June, the Kalmykian regional branch of the Yabloko party held single-person pickets against the socio-economic policies of the government of the Republic of Kalmykis. Batyr Boromangnayev, Chair of the Yabloko branch, and Nikolay Tavleyev, party member, took part in the picketing.

According to Batyr Boromangnayev, the action was not connected with other protest actions taking place in many Russian cities on that day.

The date of the protest actions in Elista was determined by the rally held on 29 April. The rally was organised with the participation of the regional branch of Yabloko and was conducted despite active counteractions of the authorities of Kalmykia and Elista, the capital of the Republic. The law enforcement brought to administrative responsibility one of the organisers, a veteran of the Second World War Tagir Baerkhayev, aged 86.

The participants of the pickets handed out leaflets on the socio-economic situation in the Republic and in Russia and talked to passers-by.

“Residents of Elista are concerned about the violation of their constitutional rights and freedoms, low salaries and pensions, unemployment, rising prices and high tariffs for housing and utility services, poor quality drinking water, migration of local people outside of Kalmykia, and usurpation of power by Putin’s regime. There was a lot of response to our action,” Batyr Boromangnayev said.

Simultaneously with pickets, an opposition newspaper Sovremennaya Kalmykia was conducting its public opinion poll asking the residents of the Republic to evaluate the work of the head of Kalymikia, the Prime Minister of the Republic, speakers of the republican parliament, as well as the heads of the City Council and the administration of Elista.

The law enforcement detained Nikolai Tavleyev for participation in the picket and handed him a protocol of an administrative violation.