Russian authorities moved to scupper a protest movement organised by opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Monday by detaining hundreds of demonstrators in the country’s two largest cities.
The anti-corruption activist was detained by police outside his home before he could join a demonstration in Moscow. Amid protests in dozens of cities, OVD Info, an independent monitor of political persecution, reported 750 detentions in the capital and 900 in St Petersburg.
Police responded in Moscow after a crowd of more than 5,000 began chanting and waving anti-corruption placards. Some held “Navalny 2018” posters in support of the opposition politician’s election bid, while others chanted “Navalny, president!”