Protests Erupt in Altai Republic Over Kremlin-Backed Local Government Reforms

On Thursday, eight individuals were detained in the Siberian Republic of Altai for organizing a protest against reforms proposed by regional leader Andrei Turchak.

Demonstrators obstructed a section of the Chuya Highway, an important transit route, displaying large banners urging President Vladimir Putin to remove both Turchak and the newly appointed governor Alexander Prokopyev.

The activists criticized Turchak’s announcement to eliminate the two-tier local self-government system, a move that has raised concerns about a potential unification of the republic with the adjacent Altai region into a single federal entity.

Although there were no immediate arrests at the protest scene, reports from local media indicated that security personnel apprehended participants later at their homes.

According to the local branch of the Interior Ministry, those involved in the Thursday demonstration received penalties that ranged from fines to a 14-day administrative detention.

In a statement released late Friday, Turchak denounced the protestors, calling them «vandals who show a lack of respect for the sacred Altai mountains and their holy places.»

Footage shared by local bloggers depicted large crowds gathering outside a courthouse in the village of Onguday where legal proceedings were being held.

Some sources claimed that as many as 300 individuals came out in solidarity with those arrested, although The Moscow Times was unable to verify this figure independently.

The local government reform, passed by Russian legislators in March, has faced opposition from both the public and senior officials in various regions, including Krasnoyarsk and Tatarstan.

Critics argue that abolishing the rural settlement tier across all regions could eliminate approximately 99% of elected positions in Russia, thereby complicating efforts for residents of rural areas to advocate for their interests within the governmental framework.

Moreover, the proposed merging of the republic of Altai with the neighboring Altai region could significantly affect the status of the Indigenous Altai peoples, reducing them to a minority within a predominantly Russian region.

Turchak, originally from St. Petersburg and the son of a long-time associate of Putin, was appointed by the Kremlin to lead the republic of Altai in June 2024, despite lacking previous connections or experience in the area.