Prominent Kremlin critic arrested amid widespread protests in Russia

Police arrested Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny outside his apartment on Monday as widespread anti-corruption protests roiled Russia, The New York Times reports.

Navalny orchestrated the protests for the national holiday, Russia Day, and more than 200 cities received requests for demonstrations by fellow activists. In the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, for example, an estimated 5,000 people took to the streets in the largest protest since 1991 demonstrations against the USSR.

Around 670 people were arrested in Moscow, and another 300 in St. Petersburg. "They cannot put everyone in prison," is a rallying cry of Navalny and his supporters, as is the chant "Russia without Putin." Navalny has argued to be allowed to run against Vladimir Putin in 2018, although he is technically banned from doing so. Read more about the protests at The New York Times.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up