March 29, 2026

Several people detained across Russia at rallies against internet blockades

Security forces cordoned off squares in several cities where rallies against internet blockades were scheduled to take place. Those who came to the locations began to be detained. This is reported by OVD-Info. On the cordoned-off Bolotnaya Square in Moscow, security forces called on all those gathered to disperse. They were pushed into neighboring streets. One girl was led to a police van after she shouted, "Respected OMON and police, we need your protection." The total number of detainees in the capital increased to eight. One man was detained with a banner saying "No to war." Two of the detainees are minors. Right before the planned rally against internet blockades, benches began to be painted on the square. In St. Petersburg, the square where a rally against Telegram blockades was supposed to take place was also cordoned off by security forces. The square is enclosed by a high metal fence and warning tape. Two people were detained, one of whom has already been released. The authorities tried to pretend that work was being carried out in the square. Workers are inside the square. However, there was no notification about repairs being conducted, writes "Bumaga". In the center of Voronezh, activist Nikita Nesmeyanov, who was holding a solo picket against blockades, was detained. He came out with a libertarian flag and a banner saying "Stop slowing us down. Stop blocking us. For a free internet!!! Against blockades. Against censorship!!!". In Yekaterinburg, police and the "Russian Community" are on duty at the site of the canceled rally. There were no detentions on the square, an eyewitness told "Mediazona." However, members of the "Community" drove several people away from the Lenin monument. In Kaluga, politician Konstantin Larionov was detained for posting flyers in support of a free internet, he said on his Telegram channel. In Chelyabinsk, local Maoists hung a banner against the blocking of Telegram. Today, rallies against the blocking of Telegram and for internet freedom were supposed to take place throughout Russia, but the authorities rejected all applications on fabricated grounds. Five applicants for a rally against internet blockades in Moscow were arrested for 15 days under the article "disobedience to police." The organizer of a similar rally in Tomsk was also detained on the eve of the action.