Soviet Officials Warn Protesters to Keep Peace
Warnings of trouble at pro-democracy rallies, expected to attract hundreds of thousands Sunday, were issued by Soviet authorities Friday.
Rallies are planned for Moscow, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk in the Urals and Kiev and Lvov in the Ukraine, among other cities. They will come ahead of key March 4 elections that are likely to see many longtime Communist officials swept from power.
Defense Minister Dmitri T. Yazov, in an order marking Armed Forces Day, condemned what he said were attempts by extremists to devalue Communist ideals.
The Interior Ministry said it is placing one-third more police on duty nationwide to keep order.
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