Moscow police raided a conference of independent municipal lawmakers and activists in the Russian capital on March 13 and detained around 200 delegates. The move marks a significant escalation in the Kremlin crackdown on political opposition as the country prepares for scheduled parliamentary elections in September 2021.
The two-day Municipal Russia conference, which was attended by representatives from more than 50 regions across Russia, lasted less than one hour before law enforcement officials broke up the meeting. Attendees were arrested and charged with the administrative offense of taking part in the activities of “undesirable organizations”.
