Russia arrests opposition leader for illegal protest

Mr Navalny was arrested by police yesterday and has been released,ReutersHowever, he will still appear in court at a later date. If convicted of violating the law on organizing demonstrations, he could face up to 30 years in prison, his lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, said.

Images on social media showed Mr Navalny appearing on Tverskaya Street in Moscow, a few hundred metres from the Kremlin, to protest with several hundred supporters. Police had previously warned that they would use force to disperse the protesters, saying the activity was illegal.

Also on the same day, thousands of protesters demanded a boycott of the presidential election next March across Russia, from the cities of St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kurgan to Vladivostok in the Far East.

Earlier, police searched the offices of Mr Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation in the capital on the pretext of investigating information that there was a bomb in Navalny's office. Several foundation employees were arrested.

Navalny, 41, is a lawyer, financier and political activist who has been a frequent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has attracted a large following through social media and has organized protests across Russia. Russia's Central Election Commission last year rejected Navalny's bid to run for president in 2018 over a suspended prison sentence. Russian President Vladimir Putin is running for a fourth term as an independent.