Russian police detain hundreds at Moscow opposition protest
- Lyubov Sobol, an ally of key opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was detained as she set off for the rally
- Putin has yet to comment on the situation as anger grows over the refusal of officials to let opposition candidates run in city parliament polls
The unauthorised march, which comes after stark warnings from Russian authorities and a crackdown on Kremlin critics, was billed as a “stroll” along Moscow’s leafy boulevards as anger grows over the refusal of officials to let popular opposition candidates run in next month’s city parliament elections.
Most of those candidates and opposition leaders are still in police detention following the last rally, as what began as a local issue has boiled over into one of the worst political conflicts of recent years.
Some 600 people were detained in course of the rally, police and the independent protest monitor OVD-Info said. Some were journalists with accreditations.
Lyubov Sobol, an ally of key opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was detained as she set off for the rally. “Why are you detaining me?” she shouted as riot police in helmets dragged her out of a taxi.
