Russian Pension Protests 2018: A Year of Unrest

In 2018, Russia witnessed a significant wave of pension protests that left a lasting impact on the country.

The protests began in June, sparked by a government proposal to raise the retirement age for men and women.

Many Russians felt that the increase would be a significant burden, especially considering the country's struggling pension system.

The proposed changes would have affected millions of Russians, with some estimates suggesting that up to 40 million people would be impacted by the changes.

Thousands of Russians have joined protests against plans to raise the retirement age, despite a recent move by President Vladimir Putin to soften the deeply unpopular measure.

Tens of thousands of people have joined demonstrations in several Russian cities to protest against government plans to raise the retirement age, with more than 10,000 people attending a rally in Moscow alone.

Demonstrators carried banners with slogans such as “We want to live on our pensions not die at work”, highlighting the concerns that many Russians may not live long enough to claim a state pension.

A fresh viewpoint: How to File a Complaint against a Loan Officer

According to the World Health Organization, Russian men have an average life expectancy of 66 years, while for women the figure is 77.

The proposed raise for men would remain unchanged, while Putin has offered to lower the proposed retirement age for women from 63 to 60, a concession that has not satisfied protesters.

Protests have taken place in other Russian cities, including Siberia’s Novosibirsk and Vladivostok, with around 9,000 people taking to the streets in Moscow, according to White Counter, an NGO that counts participants at rallies.

Putin's approval rating has fallen by around 10 percentage points since the proposed reforms were announced, with almost three million people signing an online petition against the reform.

Consider reading: Management by Wandering around

In July and August 2018, the first notable street rallies took place in Russia, with thousands of people protesting against the government's decision to raise the pension age.

The protests were organized by opposition parties, trade unions, and individual politicians, and occurred nearly every weekend, with sometimes also taking place on working days. Total number of participants exceeded 200,000.

Large-scale anti-reform manifestations were held on September 2, led by the Russian communists and other left-wing oppositional forces, with around 9,000 people attending a rally in Moscow.

A fresh viewpoint: Wsfs Bank Place

In July and August 2018, a wave of protests swept across Russia against the government's pension reform. The first notable protest took place on July 1, with thousands of people demonstrating against the unpopular decision to hike the pension age.

Protests became a regular occurrence, with rallies and demonstrations happening almost every weekend, and sometimes on working days, in nearly all major cities across the country. The total number of participants exceeded 200,000.

The largest protest events of the summer took place on July 18 and July 28-29. On July 28, over 10,000 people attended a rally in Moscow.

Related reading: July Systems

September was a month of protests and elections in Russia.

The Communist party organized countrywide protest actions on September 22, with thousands demanding the abandonment of the pension reform and blaming the government for the unpopular initiative.

United Russia suffered losses in several gubernatorial elections that month.

They lost the Khabarovsk Krai gubernatorial election to the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

In Vladimir Oblast, United Russia lost to the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia as well.

Additionally, the party lost the Khakassia election to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

On a similar theme: Presidential Election Campaign Fund Checkoff