People gather to pay tribute to the victims of the March 25 fire at a shopping center in Kemerovo. Many protesters have targeted corruption as the fundamental cause of the fire.
The small Russian city of Kemerovo is making waves across the nation following a deadly fire at a shopping mall. On March 25, the blaze claimed nearly 70 people, including 41 children, along with a zoo full of animals. And in the days since, protests around the country have forced the Kremlin to turn its eye toward the growing internal crisis. The common theme among the demonstrations is a powerful condemnation of corruption, which many protesters have highlighted as the fundamental cause of the mall fire. Demonstrators are blaming Putin's government for allowing corrupt behaviors to flourish in institutions such as the fire response services, the local administration in Keremovo and the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, causing a dangerous lack of oversight and inadequate services.
