Tens of thousands young people in T-shirts bearing Soviet-style red stars march to a patriotic rally organized by the nationalist pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, which is Russian for Ours, in Moscow, Sunday, May 15, 2005. The red flags with diagonal white crosses, a mix of Soviet and Russian imperial-era imagery, are Nashi's party flags. The 'Our Victory' gathering, which was also to feature World War II veterans, was meant to affirm Russia's independence, said the group Nashi. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Pro-Kremlin Youth Group Rallies in Moscow
By MARIA DANILOVA, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW - Tens of thousands of young people in red-and-white T-shirts bearing Soviet-style stars marched down one of Moscow's main avenues Sunday in a patriotic rally organized by a nationalist pro-Kremlin youth group.
The tightly choreographed rally featured young people thanking World War II veterans for the victory over Nazi Germany and was meant to demonstrate Russia's determination to hold a powerful place in the world.
"The veterans fought and died in the war and on the battlefield for our independence. We will have to defend this independence in business and the economy, in the factories and (university) lecture halls," said Vasily Yakemenko, the leader of Nashi (Ours), the group that organized the rally.
About 50,000 people grouped in columns walked down Lenin Avenue to the sound of military songs and marches. Many waved the group's flag, whose diagonal white cross on a red background mixes Soviet and Russian imperial-era imagery.
"We came here to support the veterans, to thank them for their victory," said Valya Lavrova, an 18-year-old business student from the city of Ivanovo, northwest of Moscow. "We want to see Russia united, to see it become a superpower again."
Many Russians are sensitive about foreign influence, particularly with the Cold War powerhouse struggling to recover following the Soviet collapse, and leading officials including President Vladimir Putin have warned that forces in the United States and other Western countries are seeking to weaken Russia. There is also concern about neighboring China's growing clout.
Most of the people in the rally were high school or university students, many bused to Moscow from a dozen regions. Some said they had been prohibited by organizers from talking to journalists, and some were unclear about the purpose of the rally.
"They told us there would be some kind of parade in Moscow, or something like that," said Sem Babayev, a 16-year old high school student from the town of Podolsk, south of Moscow.
The area where the rally was held was cordoned off by police squads and closed to traffic for hours.
Citing Moscow police, the ITAR-Tass news agency said 22 members of a communist youth group were detained nearby for trying to hold an unauthorized demonstration of their own.
More than 1,000 police and soldiers guarded the event. Several police warned that anyone not wearing a special rally T-shirts adorned with large red or white stars would be barred from participating.
Nashi was founded last month in Moscow to replace Walking Together, another pro-Kremlin youth group that Yakemenko used to lead. Walking Together became notorious for staging book-burning ceremonies and allegedly paying group members.
The rally came six days after Putin hosted dozens of world leaders for celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Nazi defeat in World War II, addressing a Red Square military parade that was full of Soviet-era symbolism and stressing the Soviet role in the allied victory.