Hundreds Arrested in Anti-Government Protests in Moscow

On Sunday, April 6, police in Moscow arrested Alexei Navalny, a prominent opposition politician, during a protest he organized against corruption, along with over 800 demonstrators. Roman Rubanov, head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Navalny, confirmed his arrest by police. Rubanov also posted videos on Twitter showing supporters of Navalny attempting to prevent his arrest. According to Reuters, citing a non-governmental organization called 'OVD-Info', thousands participated in the Sunday protests in central Moscow, with over 800 of them arrested. The Moscow police did not provide an exact number of those detained, but the news agency Itar-Tass quoted a police source stating that 500 had been arrested. Reports indicate that dozens were also detained in protests in other Russian cities such as Vladivostok, Omsk, and Khabarovsk. The Sunday protests are considered the largest against the Russian government since 2011. The protests occurred under conditions where the Kremlin deemed them 'illegal'. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Moscow police had warned residents of the capital not to participate in the protests, labeling them illegal. Previously, Navalny had announced on his website that protests were to be held in 99 major and minor cities across Russia, but local authorities in 27 cities, including Novosibirsk, granted permission for protests. The planning for these demonstrations followed the release of a report by Navalny's foundation accusing Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of corruption. Medvedev has been accused of soliciting wealthy individuals and state banks to donate to charities and non-governmental organizations, subsequently using those donations to purchase expensive properties. Reports indicate that Medvedev has not yet responded to these allegations.