The recent protests in Moscow showed two trends that are quite new for modern Russia: first, the extreme brutality of the security forces during the dispersal of rallies, and second, the unprecedented resilience of Muscovites, who are heroically coming out to take part in clearly unauthorized actions where they knowingly face the possibility of state violence and arrests.
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Kseniya Kirillova: Protests in Moscow no longer just a game
Protesters attempt to break through a police cordon during an unauthorised rally demanding independent and opposition candidates be allowed to run for office in local election in September, in downtown Moscow on July 27, 2019.