Thousands take part in anti-Putin protests across Russia, 350 arrested
Police in riot gear wade into the crowd and are seen grabbing some demonstrators and leading them away
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MOSCOW — Thousands of demonstrators crowded into one of Moscow’s main squares on Saturday as part of nationwide protests against the upcoming inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin to a new term.
At least 350 people were detained at opposition protests across Russia, as police violently attempted to disperse an unsanctioned rally in Moscow using tear gas, an independent monitor and AFP correspondents said.
Top opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his ally Nikolai Lyaskin, and a number of their supporters were detained in Moscow as police roughly rounded up protesters, according to AFP correspondents.
Independent monitoring group OVD-Info said more than 350 people had been detained by police nationwide.
The 41-year-old protest leader was detained along with a number of his supporters as a huge crowd packed a central square in Moscow to protest Putin’s swearing ceremony on Monday.
The protests Saturday under the slogan “He is not our czar” were organized Navalny.
News reports and social media postings said protests had attracted hundreds or more in at least a dozen cities in the Far East and Siberia earlier in the day. Reports said police arrested activists in several cities, including a Navalny supporter who was seized in a cafe in the city of Samara
Demonstrators also gathered in St. Petersburg, where authorities had closed off Mars Field, a large park that is often a venue for demonstrations; signs on the barricades said it was closed for urgent repair work.
Putin will be inaugurated Monday for a six-year term.
The Times of Israel Community.