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20,000 Anti-Maidan activists flock to central Moscow ahead of rally

The rally will be held under the motto of We Won’t Forget, We Won’t Forgive

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Already 20,000 activists from Russia’s Anti-Maidan movement have got together one hour before a rally will begin in central Moscow to mark an anniversary of victory of the Maidan movement in Ukraine when then President Viktor Yahukovich had to abandon his position.

The rally will be held under the motto of We Won’t Forget, We Won’t Forgive. The coordinated with Moscow authorities figure of participants is 10,000. However, its organizers did not rule out earlier that many more people would come.

According to one of the movement leaders, Dmitry Sablin, lawmaker of the Federation Council upper house of Russia’s parliament and member of Afghanistan Veterans’ Council, more than 100 public organisations said they would join the rally, and residents from other regions were also expected.

More than 80 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers in central Kiev on February 18-21, 2014. Twenty wounded later died in hospitals. President Viktor Yanukovich had to leave the country.

The creation of Anti-Maidan movement was announced in mid-January. Among co-chairs of the new movement are Alexander Zaldostanov nicknamed Surgeon, the leader of Night Wolves, the writer Nikolai Starikov, co-chairman of the Great Motherland party, mixed martial arts world champion Yulia Berezikova, a deputy chairman of the United Russia faction in the State Duma, Frants Klintsevich and the Russian action movie star, Mikhail Porechenkov.

Activists say the main aim of the movement is to prevent color revolutions in Russia.

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