ROSTOV-NA-DONU, Russia -- Police in the southwestern Russian city of Zverevo have detained about 30 retired miners who were staging a protest for free utilities, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
The pensioners were protesting for the second consecutive day on September 9, demanding that the government provide them with free water, gas, and electricity.
The protesters were detained on a highway where they unfurled a large sign saying: "Retired miners of Zverevo ask president for help."
The picketers held a warning rally on September 7, saying they would block the region's major highway if their demands went unmet.
The authorities in Rostov Oblast say there are no federal laws that would grant the pensioners the right to free utilities.