Weekend anti-Kremlin protests in the Far East city of Khabarovsk have continued for the third consecutive week, with the number of protesters estimated at 35,000-50,000 people on July 25. 

As reported by bne IntelliNews, Sergei Furgal, the governor of Khabarovsk, was arrested on murder charges earlier this month and his detention prompted people to take their frustration to the street.

Furgal, the candidate of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), achieved a landslide in the 2018 election, roundly defeating the ruling United Russia Party’s candidate. This was part of a wave of protest votes in 2018, when pro-Kremlin governors lost four key regions.

Last week President Vladimir Putin appointed an interim governor, Mikhail Degtyarev. Degtyarev, like Furgal, represents the LDPR, but this failed to appease the voters of Khabarovsk, who have convened for their largest political protests recently for the third consecutive week. 

According to Kommersant daily reports, the main demands of the protesters are respect for their votes and the reappointment of Furgal as governor, while they have also stressed the grassroots nature of the movement amid allegations that there was a "foreign trace" behind it.

Analysts noted to Kommersant that demands voiced at the protests in Khabarovsk could extend beyond the political career of Furgal and could result in more specific general ultimatums to the Kremlin and Putin.

The detention of Furgal is one of several high-profile and controversial arrests that have taken place in Russia since the Kremlin secured a massive 73% support vote in the constitutional referendum. 

The referendum allows Putin to run for another two six-year presidential terms in 2024, potentially remaining in power until 2036. 

But the Kremlin has also been forced to roll back the National Projects spending plans due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, which could further hurt living standards. Thus the degree of popular discontent will be in focus ahead of the upcoming regional, State Duma and eventually presidential elections.