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| - A Russian governor appointed by President Vladimir Putin to head a region in the Far East on Wednesday dismissed mass protests over his predecessor's arrest and vowed to stay in post. Residents of Khabarovsk, which is seven time zones east of Moscow, protested the detention of popular governor Sergei Furgal for the 12th day running Wednesday. Furgal, 50, was flown to Moscow and jailed on charges of having organised murders 15 years ago. The demonstrations against his arrest earlier this month have been some of the largest anti-government protests in Russia for years. Local officials say at least 10,000 people took part in the main demonstrations on July 11 and July 18. Some local media and opposition figures put the figure at between 35,000 and 50,000 people, or even more. Locals have also protested Putin's decision this week to appoint 39-year-old Mikhail Degtyarev, a career politician who has never lived in the region, as acting governor. Degtyarev, from the same LDPR nationalist party as Furgal, said Wednesday the protesters did not reflect public opinion. "Protests do not measure people's sentiments," he said. "To the people who shout 'Degtyarev leave': I will not leave because there is work to be done." In images posted on Instagram, Degtyarev recorded himself on a stroll through the city centre as cars honked while he greeted passersby. The footage also showed him buying an ice-cream for a journalist who joined him. But while insisting the protests were not representative of the wider population, he conceded: "Their rage is just." He vowed to win people over by being tough on corruption and crime. "As soon as (Furgal) is acquitted, I will leave," so that he can take part in elections, he said. But he has refused to face the protesters, arguing he has more important things to do. "Stop crying 'Degtyarev come out' at my windows. That is simply uncultured," he said. "There is a schedule. There is work. There are meetings." The protesters should instead help veterans in their gardens, he suggested. Degtyarev's Instagram video was met with a rush of critical comments -- and another rally backing Furgal outside the regional government building Wednesday evening. ma/jbr/jj
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