28 March 2017 12:01 am
(Daily Mail, London), 27 March 2017 -
Hundreds of Russians including Progress Party leader Alexei Navalny were arrested today as thousands defied bans to stage anti-corruption protests across the country.
Navalny called for the marches after publishing a detailed report this month accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling a property empire through a shadowy network of nonprofit organisations.
The report has been viewed over 11 million times on YouTube but so far Medvedev has made no comment on the claims.Sunday’s march in Moscow was one of the biggest unauthorised demonstrations in recent years, with police putting turnout at 8,000 people. Police bundled Navalny into a minibus as he was walking to the protest.Police said about 500 people had been arrested in Moscow, while OVD-Info, a website that monitors the detention of activists, said at least 700 had been detained, as well as dozens in other cities.