Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed two senior police officers involved in the arrest of an investigative journalist on drug charges that were later dropped for lack of evidence, in a case that provoked national outrage. The firings, which came a day after massive arrests at a protest rally in the Russian capital, reflect a careful balancing act by the Kremlin, which seeks to assuage public anger while maintaining a tight lid on dissent.
Last week’s arrest of Ivan Golunov on drug-dealing charges he rejected as sham drew an unprecedented show of solidarity, with three top national newspapers publishing front pages demanding his release. The interior ministry dropped all charges against the reporter on Tuesday in a highly unusual move, and asked Putin to dismiss two senior officers who oversaw the case.
The Kremlin has announced the ouster of Moscow police’s anti-drugs chief, Yuri Devyatkin, and head of the police department for western Moscow, Andrei Puchkov.
The firings follow arrests at an unsanctioned but peaceful rally supporting Golunov in Moscow on Wednesday.
Moscow police said about 200 people were detained, while independent monitoring group OVD-Info said over 500 were taken into custody and some of them were beaten. The vast majority were released quickly without charges.
Journalist investigation case: 2 senior cops suspended by Russian Prez Putin
