The recent Moscow democracy protests were aimed at decrying the barring of independent candidates from local election. An article in Democracy Digest argues that these recent Moscow democracy protests, record for the thousands who took part in it, represent a new challenge to Putin’s dominance.

An estimated fifty thousand people in Moscow (Moscow Times/CFR) protested the barring of independent candidates from the ballot in an upcoming local election in what was one of the country’s largest demonstrations in years.

The military adventures of Mr. Putin, who celebrated 20 years in power last week, have turned Russia into a power to be reckoned with for foreign policy makers. But they haven’t translated into gains for average Russians, who have seen their living standards fall for five years in a row amid chronic economic problems aggravated by Western sanctions, The Wall Street Journal reports.

“The protests are about the deep disappointment Russians have in their government,” said Denis Volkov, a sociologist at Moscow-based pollster Levada. “It’s like the genie is out of the bottle and people can finally express their frustrations.”

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