Photos by RFE/RL
Protest Against Ekho Moskvy
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On September 16, close to 50 people from the nationalist Eurasian Youth Union and the Union of Orthodox Standard-Bearers staged a demonstration on central Moscow's Triumfalnaya Square demanding the closure of the Ekho Moskvy radio station for its coverage of last month's Georgia conflict. The protesters -- some of whom carried placards reading "Death to Spies" -- accused the station of betraying national interests by allowing Georgian officials to speak on the air.
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Eurasian Youth Union leaders Pavel Zarifullin, Alyona Kompaniets, and Pavel Kanishchev. The Eurasian Youth Union is tied to the Eurasia Party of Aleksandr Dugin, a nationalist with ties to the Kremlin who advocates the restoration of the Russian Empire. The youth union has staged demonstrations outside the Georgian Embassy in Moscow, and has been banned in Ukraine for launching cyberattacks on government websites and vandalizing Ukrainian national monuments.
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The protest began with a prayer. Leonid Simonovich-Nikshich, the leader of the Union of Orthodox Standard-Bearers, later warned of a "secret worldwide government" intent upon destroying not only Russia, but also the United States and the European Union. The organization has been an active opponent of Moscow's gay parade, and has warned that the pop singer Madonna is "under the influence of the Devil."
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Protesters invoked Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code, which outlines punitive terms for the incitement of national, racial, or religious enmity. Demonstrators claim Ekho Moskvy's coverage of the Georgia conflict was biased and distinctly anti-Russian.
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Demonstrators also targeted Ekho Moskvy staff like commentator Yevgenia Albats and chief editor Aleksei Venediktov, with posters suggesting they should leave the country or be thrown in jail.