MOSCOW (Reuters) – About 3,000 people joined another march in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday in protest over President Vladimir Putin’s handling of a local political crisis.

Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are protesting for a fifth consecutive weekend against the detention of Sergei Furgal, the wider region’s popular governor.

Furgal was arrested on July 9 in connection with murder charges he denies.

His supporters say the detention is politically motivated. It has triggered weeks of street protests, creating a headache for the Kremlin facing a sharp drop in real incomes as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and trying to keep a lid on unrest as the economy stutters.

Regional authorities estimated around 2,800 people took part in the latest march, a smaller turnout than previous weeks.

Reuters images showed people marching with posters reading, “Give us back Furgal” and, “Away with the repressions”.

(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Mike Harrison)

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