Sergei Furgal: Ex-Russian regional governor imprisoned for murder

(BBC) ⸻ Sergei Furgal, a former Far East governor, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for murder and attempted murder in July 2020. The prosecution connected the deaths to Furgal's 2004–2005 business rivalries. Furgal claims he is innocent and that his prosecution was political. After his imprisonment, Khabarovsk people protested in large numbers, surprising the Kremlin. The protests were grassroots and concentrated on a single local issue, making it harder for the Kremlin to blame the West or "foreign forces". In the weeks that followed, arrests suppressed or evicted the protesters. Putin appointed LDPR governor Mikhail Degtyaryov, a Kremlin ally, who recently supported Russia's assault in Ukraine.