Concluding Thoughts

As we have seen, the symbolic significance and central location of several of these protest sites has created a great deal of tension between the police and the protesters over the use of this space. The Red Square is the location of state power, Pushkin square is symbolic of Russian culture and morality, Bolotnaya Square’s memorial to Ilya Repin provides an icon for European ideals influencing Russia, and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is the home of Russian Orthodoxy. The same movements – the 2006-2007 “Dissenter’s Marches” and 2011-2013 Free Election demonstrations both engaged with several of these sites, enabling the movements to critique and claim ownership over different facets of Russian society.

References to past incidents have been helpful in clarifying dissidents’ messages. For example, the 2008 Red Square demonstration drew a comparison to the freedom that had been secured in 1968. Repetition of location also highlights how impossible it has been for the Russian government and Muscovite community to come to any compromise over time. Most prominently, the bimonthly Strategy 31 demonstrations at Triumfalnaya Square have given the square a political identity.