UNPOPULAR LEGISLATION
Russian police detain opposition supporters at pension reform protests
Moscow — Thousands of supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny protested across Russia on Sunday against planned increases to the pension age, with a rights group saying at least 153 of them had been detained by the police. The protests were a challenge to the authorities, who were hoping for a high turnout at local elections on Sunday despite widespread anger over the pension move. "The authorities are not listening to people and that means it’s time to take to the streets," Navalny’s team said. The proposed pension changes, which are going through parliament, have shaved about 15 percentage points off President Vladimir Putin’s popularity rating. They are the most unpopular government measure since a 2005 move to scrap Soviet-era benefits, which led to nationwide pensioner protests.
Navalny, barred from state TV and prevented from running against Putin for president earlier in 2018, hopes to tap into public anger over the reform. He had planned to lead a protest...
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