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In Pictures: Mass arrests across Russia during Navalny rallies

Russians protest in support of opposition figure Alexey Navalny across the country.

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A rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Sunday in St Petersburg. [Anton Vaganov/Reuters]
By News Agencies
Published On 31 Jan 2021

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across Russia’s vast expanse to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny, keeping up a wave of nationwide protests that have rattled the Kremlin.

The police detained more than 5,000 protesters in cities across Russia’s 11 time zones, according to OVD-Info, a group that monitors arrests.

The authorities had prepared a massive effort to stem the tide of demonstrations on Sunday after tens of thousands of people rallied across the country last weekend in the largest and most widespread show of discontent Russia has seen in years.

The 44-year-old Navalny, an anti-corruption investigator who is the best-known critic of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested on January 17 upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from alleged nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin.

Russian authorities have rejected the accusations.

As part of a multi-pronged effort by the authorities to discourage Russians from attending Sunday's demonstrations, the Prosecutor General's office ordered the state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, to block calls to join the protests on the internet. [Anna Ogorodnik/AP Photo]
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In the far eastern port of Vladivostok alone, more than 100 people were detained after protesters danced on the ice and rallied in the city centre. [Pavel Korolyon/AFP]
Law enforcement officers detain a man during a rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in Moscow. [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters]
A general view of a rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in St Petersburg. [Anton Vaganov/Reuters]
Law enforcement officers detain a man during a rally in support of Navalny in St Petersburg. [Anton Vaganov/Reuters]
Police arrest a woman during a demonstration in Vladivostok. [Aleksander Khitrov/AP Photo]
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Russian special police units block a street before a protest in support of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in St Petersburg. [Anatoly Maltsev/EPA]
Law enforcement officers stand guard before a rally in Moscow. [Vasily Maximov/AFP]
Nearly 4,000 people were reportedly detained at January 23 demonstrations calling for Navalny’s release in more than 100 Russian cities. [Aleksander Khitrov/AP Photo]