In Mongolia, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Ulaanbaatar Monday braving the freezing cold to protest allegations of corruption within the state-owned coal mining company. Reports recently surfaced accusing a group of Mongolian lawmakers with ties to the coal industry of stealing billions of dollars. Meanwhile, people are suffering through a worsening economic crisis as inflation and living costs have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and as the closure of borders have impacted Mongolia’s trade with China. On Monday, protesters tried to storm a government building, calling for Mongolia’s parliament to be dismissed and for corrupt politicians to be brought to justice.

Protester: “And that’s the reason why a lot of government members are richer and live a [more] luxurious life than, like, the citizens, and how they could just be like so calm when the citizens are like buying bread, like, by slice, not by the loaf. So that’s the reason why I’m protesting today, for the good of the people.”