© Sputnik / Ramil SitdikovPeople are pictured during a mass protest in Moscow on August 8, 2019.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Thursday, Vladimir Putin explained his stance on the mass protests which have shaken Russia's capital and a few other large cities recently.
"I believe that people have the right to express their point of view during the protests. Sometimes this leads to a positive result, because it shakes the authorities," Putin stated.
The protesting, however, must be done "within the framework of the established rules and laws" and have a constructive - not destructive - seed in them. Many young people who showed up for the recent protests have had that "positive mindset," Putin said, adding that some of these people can surely make their way into big politics.
At the same time, the Russian leader said that the protesters - and the youth specifically - could funnel their energy into things other than protesting such as improving the country's demographics.
"I assume that all of us, the youth first of all, should spend their energy on the processes that lead to creation," he stated.
The recent mass protest was sparked after a number of opposition figures were barred from taking part in the upcoming local elections. The would-be candidates were denied the right to participate over irregularities during their campaigns, yet the opposition accused authorities of deliberately targeting them and stomping on democracy.
Some of the protests were not authorized by the authorities and escalated into scuffles between police and protesters. In total, over two thousand people were detained in Moscow during the protests for 'participating in unlawful assemblies.' A handful of them, however, faced criminal charges over assaults on the police and some have already received jail terms.
Comment: His answer might not be pleasing to revolutionaries OR conservative authoritarians, but Putin is right. In any state, there must be a series of tradeoffs and compromises. Where and when should protests occur? Obviously not anywhere, otherwise protesters could commandeer private homes and businesses as protest venues. Unfortunately, on 'public' property the state decides, whether the people like it or not. The state has a monopoly on violence, after all. And what should be the goal of protesting? Creation or destruction? Creation is the better choice, if you're prudent. Violent revolution not only risks a violent state response, but also risks replacing the status quo with something worse.