Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, Russia June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Opposition politicians accused the Kremlin of using Russia's World Cup as a cover to avoid dissent while it pushes through unpopular measures, while all eyes are on the country's sporting successes and a de facto ban in place on political protests.
Since the start of the tournament, plans have been set in motion to raise the retirement age, increase value-added tax and lower the threshold for a tax on purchases from foreign online retailers. The retirement age hike is particularly unpopular: a petition against it has drawn 2.3 million signatures online.
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