Russian police detain about 60 protesters chanting 'down with the Tsar' at rare Moscow anti-Kremlin rally

From the Newshound archive · first published 5 October 2026.

Russian police detained around 60 people at a Moscow rally on Sunday after protesters broke into anti-Kremlin chants at what was ostensibly a Kremlin-friendly Communist Party commemoration. The rally marked the 33rd anniversary of the 1993 parliamentary uprising crushed by Boris Yeltsin, but crowds turned it into a rare public display of dissent.

Protesters chanted 'Freedom for political prisoners', 'For fair elections' and 'Down with the Tsar', according to Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti.

The Communist Party said those detained were mostly young people, with its Moscow branch working to secure their release.

The unrest follows simmering public frustration over Ukrainian drone strikes hitting Russian oil refineries and causing fuel shortages as far as Moscow.