Russia's main opposition leader has been detained along with hundreds of others following anti-corruption protests in some of the country's biggest cities.
State news agency Tass confirmed that Alexei Navalny had been placed under house arrest. He faces allegations of violating laws governing demonstrations that could lead to a 30-day jail sentence.
Navalny, who plans to run in next year's presidential election, despite being ineligible after an embezzlement conviction, was to join a rally in Moscow as part of a series of protests "hoping to rattle the Kremlin", says CNN.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Russian non-profit organisation OVD-Info told news site Fontanka.ru that more than 900 people had been detained at protests in Moscow and St Petersburg. BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford, who was also present, said riot police in the capital were picking out protesters at random.
Many of them were young people, apparently teenagers, chanting slogans such as: "Russia without [President Vladimir] Putin", and: "Down with the tsar", she said.
Monday's protests, which were coordinated predominantly on social media and are being seen as a sign of growing discontent at Putin, coincided with a series of festivals, concerts and military enactments to mark Russia Day, a national holiday dedicated to the 1990 declaration of sovereignty and with important symbolism for nationalists.
They follow similar Navalny-led rallies in March, which drew tens of thousands of protesters and were the largest demonstrations against the Kremlin in more than five years.
-
Political cartoons for January 17Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hard hats, compliance, and more
-
Ultimate pasta alla NormaThe Week Recommends White miso and eggplant enrich the flavour of this classic pasta dish
-
Death in Minneapolis: a shooting dividing the USIn the Spotlight Federal response to Renee Good’s shooting suggest priority is ‘vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public’
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
All roads to Ukraine-Russia peace run through the DonbasIN THE SPOTLIGHT Volodymyr Zelenskyy is floating a major concession on one of the thorniest issues in the complex negotiations between Ukraine and Russia
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Is Europe finally taking the war to Russia?Today's Big Question As Moscow’s drone buzzes and cyberattacks increase, European leaders are taking a more openly aggressive stance
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
