2LT International News

MOSCOW, Russia – For weeks now, Russia has been witnessed massive protests against the government’s pension reform plans, that has proven to be deeply unpopular in the country.

Earlier this week, faced with protests that have seen tens of thousands of people hitting the streets of Moscow and several other cities, the Russian President Vladimir Putin offered several concessions.

However, those concessions have failed to please the crowd, with people strongly opposing the government’s plans to gradually raise the state pension age as the economy struggles under Western sanctions.

The move, which would be Russia’s first such hike in nearly 90 years, has, however, led to protesters accusing the government of seeking to rob ordinary people of their earnings.

On Sunday, the country’s capital witnessed large-scale protests, that saw tens of thousands of people pouring out into the streets, in demonstrations organized by the Communist Party. 

Protesters, who have rallied across Russia over the last few weeks, held the red flags and banners of the Communist Party.

Moscow also witnessed another smaller protest, which was held by the centre-left Just Russia party.

According to the police in Moscow, this protesters managed to attract about 1,500 people. 

Further, the police estimated that about 6,000 people turned up for the Communist rally.

Similar protests were also reportedly witnessed in other Russian cities, including Saint Petersburg where law enforcement authorities estimated about 2,500 demonstrators taking to the streets on Sunday.

Meanwhile, protests were also witnessed in the Volga city of Samara, which saw about 1,000 protesters calling for Putin’s resignation.

The government’s move has already been approved by the parliament’s lower house in a first reading in July but has since then led to a rare outburst of public anger.

Then, earlier this week, Putin proposed several measures to soften the reform as his approval ratings plunged. 

In a televised address, the Russian president proposed raising the pension age by five years to 60 for women, instead of eight years, as previously planned.

Further, he said the state pension age for men will rise by five years to 65.

Explaining the government’s motive, Putin said that the move to raise the retirement age for men and women had been delayed for years, pointing out that it risked causing inflation and increasing poverty.

The Russian leader said that postponing it further would threaten the stability and security of Russian society.

However, the Communist Party has declared that it would not back the proposals despite the changes.

The party is now demanding a referendum on the subject.