December 01, 2019

What Happened in Khabarovsk?


What Happened in Khabarovsk?
Protests in Khabarovsk. Polyakov

When we declared 2020 "Putin's Victorious Summer," we cited examples like a swift response to coronavirus, massive Victory Day parades, and a favorable outcome in a constitutional referendum. We overlooked, however, a Russian region that wasn't quite as cooperative this year.

Khabarovsk Krai is not a likely place for protests. Located in Russia's Far East, it's truly massive, yet home to less than 1.5 million. Bordering the Pacific Ocean, it is geographically closer to Beijing and Tokyo than Moscow. The capital city, Khabarovsk, is relatively small and industrial, hardly a beacon of cosmopolitanism. It is literally on the other side of Russia from the country's core.

It's hard to believe, then, that this became the center of anti-government protests earlier this year.

A map showing the location of Khabrovsk
"I can see Alaska from my house!": Khabarovsk Krai on a map of Russia. | Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

To understand the demonstrations, it is important to understand the politics behind them.

The protests center around Sergei Furgal, governor of the region (in Russian, krai). Furgal belongs to Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), which by name alone sounds like it would be in strong opposition to the Kremlin and Putin's United Russia party (UR). In reality, however, the LDPR, along with Russia's Communist Party (KPRF), often goes along with UR, offering token resistance to provide plausible deniability to allegations of one-party rule. It is not unusual for non-UR candidates to be elected in Russian provinces, as long as officeholders don't rock the boat too much. In short, Furgal is popular among his constituents.

When Furgal was elected as an LDPR governor of Khabarovsk Krai in 2018, after years in Russia's national State Duma, he won in a landslide, with nearly 70% of the vote.

Sergei Furgal, the subject of protests. | Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

His party, too, began to gain traction in Khabarovsk Krai: following elections in fall 2019, the Krai's Duma assembly saw a flip: UR lost 28 seats, while LDPR gained 27, leaving Furgal's party with 30 of the 36 seats in the chamber.

Then, on July 9, 2020, Sergei Furgal was stripped of his title and arrested by national authorities. He was flown to Moscow and accused of murdering a businessman 15 years ago. Many Khabarovsk residents, understandably, smelled something fishy.

By July 11, an estimated 12,000 people went out on the streets of Khabarovsk to demonstrate in support of Furgal, calling for his reinstatement and the resignation of Putin and his party. The movement only grew in the following months, with rallies of thousands taking place throughout the Far East. Protests spread elsewhere in Russia, with participants numbering in the millions, all calling for greater democratic freedoms and the release of Furgal.

On October 10, two dozen protesters were detained by authorities, marking the end of three months of consecutive, constant demonstrations. While the movement has since lost some momentum, sporadic protests continue. Furgal's court date is December 9, and more activity is expected as the date nears.

While American media largely overlooked these protests – it's not like we had anything else going on in summer 2020 – they are some of the largest Russia has seen since those of the early 2010s.

These protests in Russia's Far East demonstrate that Russia is far from the autocratic police state many assume it to be; in fact, dissent, with limits, is tolerated. But could these actions be part of a larger thirst for democracy in Russia? It's hard to say. One thing is for certain: if Putin gets his way, he'll probably be president until he's 83.

See Also

The World's Longest Road

The World's Longest Road

In this, the final installment in Ilya Stogoff’s journey across the Russian Far East, the intrepid (if politically incorrect) journalist tries to get home on the Transsiberian Railroad.
The Railroad Less Traveled

The Railroad Less Traveled

The Baikal-Amur Mainline is the other Trans-Siberian. More northerly, it runs through a range of Eastern Siberia largely untouched by human habitation.
Primorye: Cars and Crime

Primorye: Cars and Crime

In the third installment of Ilya Stogoff's travels in the Russian Far East, the author explores Russia's Eastern Crime Capital (Khabarovsk), and has a first-hand encounter with "the criminal element."
Lost and Found in Siberia

Lost and Found in Siberia

Eleven Americans were lost in Stalin's Siberia for nearly a month before anyone even knew they were there. This is their story of survival.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955