KHABAROVSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2020) The acting governor of the Russian city of Khabarovsk Mikhail Degtyarev, estimated the number of protesters that took to the streets against the arrest of his predecessor to be around 10,000.
Degtyarev arrived at the government headquarters from a regional trip late on Sunday and stepped outside to speak to reporters and a dissipating crowd.
One reporter asked the governor to explain the inconsistencies in the crowd size estimates on Saturday's protest, since the mayor's office said that about 6,000 took part, while security service put the number close to 8,000 while many opposition news outlets reported that 20,000 people had gathered.
"I have seen a lot of videos, in some there are fewer people visually, in others more visually. I do not know the technicalities of crowd size counting. I can say that estimates differ. I really do not like that some media, the so-called liberal media, multiply everything by 10. Let's be objective. In my estimation, there were 10,000," Degtyarev said, reiterating that it was only his estimations.
The young governor acknowledged the fact that local residents were indignant over the arrest of popular former Governor Sergey Furgal.
"I have great sympathy for him [Furgal]. I do not believe in the charges. I hope for an open trial, but as an official, I cannot comment on anything else," Degtyarev emphasized.
Furgal, a member of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, was detained on July 9 and flown to Moscow where he was charged with a role in a string of killings in the 2000s. He is being held in Moscow's Lefortovo prison. He has denied the charges.
Peaceful unauthorized protests of the locals began soon thereafter against the arrest and what they call Moscow's overreach into regional affairs.
