PYATIGORSK, October 21. /TASS/. Recent developments in European Union countries demonstrate that ruling parties have lost the public’s trust, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting on measures to counter the subversive activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Russia.

"Recent events in major European countries, including Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy, illustrate just how far such authoritarian policies have diverged from the wishes and aspirations of ordinary people," Shoigu said. "The ruling parties in these countries have completely lost the trust of voters."

"How far must people be pushed before schoolchildren, students, doctors, drivers, farmers, and transport workers take to the streets in mass protest?" he asked.

Shoigu also noted that the protests continue and are spreading to new areas despite what he described as "fairly harsh opposition from the police."