0:00:01 > 0:00:03Russian political protests.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Four years ago, crowds took to the streets of Moscow,
0:00:12 > 0:00:18furious at evidence the elections had been rigged.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23It was an unprecedented challenge to Vladimir Putin.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27The protests were peaceful for months, until this.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Hundreds were detained on Bolotnaya Square,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31near the Kremlin.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Dozens were later put on trial for rioting,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and the arrests continued.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41State officials deny it is a political witchhunt.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54The protests cast a shadow over President Putin's inauguration.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Now, even peaceful rallies are suppressed here.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59Everyone now is afraid.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04You can be different political views, but you all can go to jail
0:01:04 > 0:01:11if you go to the demonstration.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The riot police have moved in and this man is saying this
0:01:14 > 0:01:15is not a sanctioned protest.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19I'm Sarah Rainsford and I'm investigating the aftermath
0:01:19 > 0:01:20of the clashes.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23I'll hear the stories of some of the protesters and explore how
0:01:23 > 0:01:28Vladimir Putin's Russia deals with dissent.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41So this is how I looked on my wedding day in the prison.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Anna had grand plans for her wedding day but the reality
0:01:44 > 0:01:49was unlike anything she'd imagined.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52For me it was just a possibility to meet Alexei, to hug him
0:01:52 > 0:01:54for the first time after his arrest.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57She had thought of a forest theme, lots of family and friends
0:01:57 > 0:01:58and a big, glamorous dress.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Instead, Anna and Alexei married in prison, just before
0:02:00 > 0:02:04he was sentenced to three and a half years for his part in a mass
0:02:04 > 0:02:08political protest that turned violent.
0:02:08 > 0:02:14It was this rally in Moscow that changed the couple's lives for good.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17It was May 6th, 2012, and they joined the latest in months
0:02:17 > 0:02:26of protests on a scale never seen under Vladimir Putin.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31The spark was fraud at the elections, but the anger
0:02:31 > 0:02:37was directed at Russia's leader.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45With Communists, nationalists and liberals side-by-side, to some,
0:02:45 > 0:02:52it felt like a Russian Spring.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55But at the entrance to Bolotnaya Square,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59not far from the Kremlin, there was chaos, a crush,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and then clashes.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Then came hundreds of arrests.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Each side blames the other for starting the violence.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18In the midst of all this, Anna says, Alexei tried to stop a man
0:03:18 > 0:03:22being detained and was set upon by riot police.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24She rushed to his aid.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27She is here, the figure on the right with a rucksack.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31And here, being dragged away herself.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Alexei wasn't detained that day.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36He was picked up almost a year later as investigators scrolled
0:03:36 > 0:03:40through video footage.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42And he was accused of attacking police officers.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Did you see that?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It's not about hitting at all.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51But maybe if you are in Russia and you are visiting protest,
0:03:51 > 0:04:01if you touch policeman, it can be also be treated like you hit him.
0:04:01 > 0:04:0426 protesters have now been prosecuted for the serious
0:04:04 > 0:04:07charge of rioting.
0:04:07 > 0:04:0918 have been sent to prison.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Alexei's own attempts to prosecute the police
0:04:12 > 0:04:15for beating him went nowhere.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24When I meet Anna's parents at their home outside Moscow,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26it's clear they're still shocked by what happened.
0:04:26 > 0:04:33They were both at the Bolotnaya protests that day.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Anna's family believe Alexei was singled out for prosecution,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48as a well-known left-wing activist.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53And they are sure the long prison sentences handed out
0:04:53 > 0:04:57were meant as a warning.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01It's not just left side activists are arrested, not just
0:05:01 > 0:05:06right side.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Everyone.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09You can be a man or a woman.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12You can be 20 years old, or 45 years old.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14You can be different political views.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18But you all can go to jail if you go to the demonstration.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23To see just how difficult it's become to protest here,
0:05:23 > 0:05:30we've been following Roman, the man in the Putin mask.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33All he does is try to walk to Red Square.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37His sign declares he's not afraid of a Draconian new law.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40After the clashes on Bolotnaya Square, the real Russian President
0:05:40 > 0:05:43tightened the rules on demonstrations,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47so even this is banned.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51And Roman knows that breaking the rules repeatedly could now mean
0:05:51 > 0:05:55up to five years behind bars.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14As soon as he steps onto Red Square, the police move in.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20But two weeks later, Roman is back with a new Putin mask.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28This time, he only makes it a few metres.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32This is perhaps one of the strangest sights I've seen in Russia
0:06:32 > 0:06:34for a long time, President Putin essentially being detained here
0:06:34 > 0:06:36right by Red Square, by the police.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Of course, it's Roman beneath the mask.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41He only managed to stage his protest for about a minute
0:06:41 > 0:06:42before he was detained.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44The police say it was an unsanctioned protest
0:06:44 > 0:06:50and they are taking him away to a nearby station.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03When I visit the Sakharov Centre, I realise a whole support system has
0:07:03 > 0:07:12now developed to deal with the consequences of dissent.
0:07:12 > 0:07:22Inside, there's an event in full flow, in aid of political prisoners.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27The Russian human rights group Memorial has 91 on its latest list.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30The venue is filled with reminders of Soviet repression,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35and of the Gulag.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Awaiting his own turn on stage, Lyosha Polikhovich, who spent more
0:07:39 > 0:07:49than three years in prison after the Bolotnaya protests.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Alexander Margolin served three years too,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and was released in February.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14He's here, writing letters to those still behind bars, so that like him,
0:08:14 > 0:08:19they won't feel forgotten.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23After the event, I meet the former prisoners outside.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Lyosha is a left-wing activist, but Alexander is in publishing
0:08:27 > 0:08:31and wasn't involved in politics before joining the mass protests
0:08:31 > 0:08:34against rigged elections.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Rebuilding life since his release hasn't been easy.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Both men admit they are cautious now after their time in prison,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and worried about a new wave of prosecutions for political
0:08:55 > 0:08:59posts on social media.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Four years on from the clashes, a small crowd gathers
0:09:35 > 0:09:40on Bolotnaya Square, to mark the anniversary.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45But the activists don't have permission to protest here.
0:09:45 > 0:09:51So they are joined by bus loads of riot police.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56This year, Lyosha Polikhovich comes too.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19This kind of policing is clearly helping
0:10:19 > 0:10:22to put people off.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And this.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28So the girl who's just been bundled away by the police was probably
0:10:28 > 0:10:31standing for a couple of minutes with a protest poster before
0:10:31 > 0:10:34she was picked up by the police, and she is being taken now
0:10:34 > 0:10:37to the station.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39There's another man over there.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45His sign says, "Freedom to the heroes of May 6th".
0:11:08 > 0:11:10But even silent pickets are illegal now, if more
0:11:10 > 0:11:13than one person takes part.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16And the fines for violating the protest rules have soared.
0:11:16 > 0:11:24Obviously they've been given the signal to break this up.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27The riot police have moved in and this man here is saying
0:11:27 > 0:11:30that this is not a sanctioned protest and that people should
0:11:30 > 0:11:38break this protest up.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43As the police drag protesters away, a man begins quoting at them
0:11:43 > 0:11:51from the constitution.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Article 31, that guarantees Russian citizens the right
0:11:54 > 0:12:10to peaceful assembly.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15In a tiny Moscow theatre, the story of Bolotnaya Square has
0:12:15 > 0:12:22been transformed into art.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24The script is drawn from interviews with those
0:12:24 > 0:12:27prosecuted after the protest.
0:12:27 > 0:12:38And with their families dragged into this real-life drama.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55The actors unwrap sweets throughout, just as relatives have
0:12:55 > 0:13:02to do for prison food parcels.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11The story of repression, resilience and regret ends
0:13:11 > 0:13:15on a note of defiance.
0:13:15 > 0:13:24Afterwards, there is an extraordinary encounter.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Anna takes to the stage to answer questions as a prisoner's wife.
0:13:33 > 0:13:41Alongside her, an ex-police officer who was on duty that day.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44The Kremlin today projects an image of strength and stability.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09The Kremlin today projects an image of strength and stability.
0:14:09 > 0:14:17But the mass protests challenge Vladimir Putin like never before.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20The rally on Bolotnaya Square was called for the eve
0:14:20 > 0:14:24of his inauguration.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27He later painted the protests as part of a foreign plot
0:14:27 > 0:14:31to destabilise Russia.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Now, the country is gearing up for new elections next month.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35This meeting of the electoral commission is all
0:14:35 > 0:14:44about tackling fraud.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Russia's top official for human rights is here.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50But that job is now held by a major general who spent 27 years
0:14:50 > 0:14:55in the Interior Ministry.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Afterwards, she tells me she opposed the protests after the last
0:14:58 > 0:15:00elections, and compares them to the mass rallies that toppled
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Ukraine's president over a year later.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04It is a hint of Vladimir Putin's real fear.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06But doesn't she think the prison sentences for the protests
0:15:06 > 0:15:08were too harsh?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51So, is Russia's chief guardian of human rights at all concerned
0:15:51 > 0:15:57it's so hard to stage a protest now?
0:16:08 > 0:16:15The streets of Moscow are certainly not seething with open discontent.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17In fact, the city has never looked more inviting.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Some saw the makeover of places like Gorky Park as an attempt
0:16:21 > 0:16:25to placate protesters.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28But President Putin got a far bigger boost when he annexed
0:16:28 > 0:16:34Crimea from Ukraine.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Condemned abroad, that move was hugely popular here.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38So, are Russians even worried about their shrinking freedoms?
0:16:38 > 0:16:41I think now it's quite difficult to organise or stage
0:16:41 > 0:16:43a demonstration, because our government doesn't let
0:16:43 > 0:16:47to do such things.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Does that worry you?
0:16:51 > 0:16:57I have enough problems to worry about demonstrations.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Larisa tells me many of her friends joined the protests in 2012
0:17:00 > 0:17:14but she thinks they are calmer now.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32I meet up with Alexander Margolin again in the park, where
0:17:32 > 0:17:39he is making the most of time back with his family.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Three years apart was tough on all of them.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46For several months after his arrest, Alexander wasn't allowed visits,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49so the family found out where his cell was and they came
0:17:49 > 0:17:53to shout up at his window.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16And now, after a long and frustrating search,
0:18:16 > 0:18:17Alexander has some good news.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23He starts a new job back in publishing on Monday.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Returning to normal is Lena's priority, too, although she worries
0:18:36 > 0:18:38about those still behind bars for the protests.
0:18:38 > 0:18:50There were two new arrests just this year.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Over at her parents' house, Anna is preparing for a prison visit.
0:19:08 > 0:19:15She gets three days alone with her husband every three months.
0:19:15 > 0:19:22So she is busy cooking all his favourites to take with her.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Anna had hoped Alexei would be home by now.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27He was just refused parole for failing to greet a prison guard.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32Still, her next trip should be for Alexei's release in October.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35This is the thing I feel nervous about, because I'm not sure that
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Alexei really understands what country he's going to live
0:19:38 > 0:19:44in when he is released.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Alexei has been a political activist for years, though.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Anna tells me that is what drew her to him in the first place.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10We feel ourselves part of political protest, because we live here.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13And I'm not sure that we will be just sitting at home
0:20:13 > 0:20:15when there will be any demonstrations, and like that.
0:20:15 > 0:20:21We are not afraid.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24But we will, of course, try to understand what risk we have,
0:20:24 > 0:20:32not to get in jail again.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Of course, once Alexei is back, Anna can finally
0:20:34 > 0:20:45plan a proper wedding.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49As for Roman, his campaign to get sent to prison is well underway.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52We catch up with him in a Moscow court, after he got 20 days
0:20:52 > 0:20:55in police custody for his last protest in a Putin mask.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59This was Roman's appeal against detention, and it failed.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04It was the activist's first time in custody.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It's now almost exactly 20 days since Roman was detained
0:21:06 > 0:21:19at his last protest.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21All that time he's been held at this police facility
0:21:21 > 0:21:34on the edge of Moscow.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38We've come here because we want to meet him as he comes out,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and to find out how his time here, what kind of impact that had on him,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44or whether he plans to carry on his protest.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Roman emerges, a bit dazed looking.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46But sounding defiant.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49And he reveals he's had a visit from Russia's security service.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Roman says the man asked about his politics and advised him
0:21:52 > 0:21:53to end his protest.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56So I wonder how he's coped.
0:22:07 > 0:22:14And sure enough, a week later he's back.
0:22:20 > 0:22:32But Roman's chances of forcing a legal reform are looking slim.
0:22:32 > 0:22:39One friend is already serving time in prison under the same law.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42The stifling of even this lone voice of dissent is a stark sign of just
0:22:42 > 0:22:45how much Russia has changed in the four years since vast crowds
0:22:45 > 0:22:48took to the streets to protest against Vladimir Putin
0:22:48 > 0:23:07and were confronted by rows of riot police.
0:23:20 > 0:23:20Good morning.