As two pivotal elections approach, the Russian government is developing multiple strategies to handle protests this year. Though recent demonstrations have not seen the same number of people hit the streets as in the 2011-12 protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg, they have spread to nearly every Russian region. And in 2017, President Vladimir Putin's government faced an unprecedented number of them, with an estimated 1,100-plus demonstrations in just the first three quarters of the year. With Putin preparing to seek a fourth term in March and a handful of key regional elections scheduled for September, the Kremlin is preparing multiple tools to ensure that protests don't destabilize the country....
