STATE FINANCES
Thousands of Russians protest against plan to raise retirement age
Moscow — Thousands of people across Russia joined protests on Sunday against government plans to raise the pension age, despite recent promises by President Vladimir Putin to soften the unpopular measure. Sunday’s protests show that the proposed policy remains a politically sensitive issue for the government despite concessions offered by Putin in a televised address on Wednesday. During the speech, Putin took personal responsibility for the reform for the first time and described it as a financial necessity. He ended his address by asking the Russian people for their understanding. Polls by the Levada Centre show Putin’s personal approval rating has fallen about 10 percentage points since the pension reforms were proposed, though it still stands at about 70%. About 9,000 people gathered 2.5km from the Kremlin, according to White Counter, a nongovernmental organisation that counts participants at rallies, but Moscow police put the number at 6,000. Many carried the red flags and bann...
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