Politics

Thousands detained in Russia amid fresh pro-Navalny protests

(Update 1: Adds detail)

Moscow, Jan 31 (efe-epa).- Russian police detained thousands of protesters across the country on Sunday amid demonstrations in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was detained after he returned to Russia earlier this month from Germany, where he had been recovering from a poisoning.

OVD-Info, which specializes in tracking police detentions in Russia, said at least 4,000 people had been detained so far on Sunday, equalling last weekend’s toll during similar demonstrations.

In the capital Moscow, Efe witnessed as police waited outside metro stations to arrest protesters arriving at meeting points designated by Navalny’s team. Several of Navalny’s close associates have been placed under house arrest. Hi wife was arrested during last weekend’s demonstrations.

The leading opposition figure barely survived an assassination attempt last year and tests later revealed he had been targeted with the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny has accused President Vladimir Putin of being directly implicated in the attack. EFE-EPA

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