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About 100 people detained in St. Petersburg and Moscow for taking part in rallies

Those people had taken part in unauthorized rallies to protest against the pension reform

MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. About 100 people were detained in Moscow and St. Petersburg for taking part in unauthorized protest rallies on Sunday, the single voting day in Russia, chief of the Russian interior ministry’s public order directorate, Yuri Valyaev, reported.

"About 100 people were detained in St. Petersburg and several more - in Moscow for violating national laws," he said, adding that these people had taken part in unauthorized rallies to protest against the pension reform.

Pension reform

The draft bill on amendments to the national pension system submitted by the government to the Russian State Duma, the lower house of parliament, stipulated a gradual increase in the retirement age to 65 for men (by 2028) and to 63 for women (by 2034).

President Vladimir Putin said earlier in a televised address to the nation that he supported the much-talked about reforms to the pension system in general, but noted that the relevant draft bill required serious revisions. He suggested setting the retirement age at 60 for women and at 65 for men. The head of state also said he thought it necessary to double the unemployment benefit for pre-retirement age individuals since 2019, introduce preferential retirement in the age of 50-57 for mothers with many children and keep land tax and real property tax benefits for citizens at the level of the current retirement age. Putin also pointed to the necessity of introducing employer’s liability for unjustified dismissal or refusal to employ pre-retirement age individuals.

The changes proposed by the president are expected to be included in the bill by the second reading on September 24.