Rally "For Putin" held in Volgograd

In Volgograd, on February 18 the Square of Fallen Fighters was the venue of the rally of trade unions in support of the presidential candidate Vladimir Putin. The action was attended both by those, who decided to support Putin on their own initiative, and by those, who said they came to the rally under pressure of their employers.

Under the estimate of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the rally was about 5000 strong; participants were brought by special buses from remote areas of the city and from the region.

The audience held posters "We're for Putin!", "We have what to lose", "Stalingrad is for Putin!", "Putin. People. Russia" and "Trade unions are for stability". Speakers called to support Vladimir Putin as presidential candidate, since he embodies, according to their version, the country's stability and peace.

"I came here on my own initiative; I'm satisfied with Putin's foreign policy," said Natalia Chornaya, a social worker.

The women-librarians, who were holding the poster "We have what to lose", confirmed the correctness of their slogan. "We have stability, salary, cars, houses and flats; and we are not sure that Putin's opponents will leave all that to us," said Irina Petukhova.

"Many of us – state budget employees – are here against our will," Andrei Bachman, a political scientist and an activist of the anti-fascist movement in Volgograd, has stated.

According to his story, he came to the square with his friends, teachers.

"I'll not name them for obvious reasons. They told me that their school bosses had directly hinted that those who would not come to the rally will face problems. I think that most of the people present here won't actually vote for Putin," Mr Bachman expressed his opinion.