Prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny was on Monday arrested at his home ahead of a series of anti-corruption demonstrations that were scheduled to take place across the country, the media reported.
Navalny's wife Julia tweeted that her husband had been arrested as he left his house in Moscow to attend the largest of the rallies, whose location he had changed the day before despite police warnings of reprisals, Efe news reported.
"Hey. This is Julia Navalnaya. Alexei was detained at the entrance of the house. He asked me to convey that the plans do not change: Tverskaya," she tweeted, referring to the street where the rally was to be held, coinciding with Russia's national holiday.
"Happy Russia Day," she added, alongside an image of three police vehicles and several officers standing outside her home.
Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmish, said power at their office had been cut by authorities.
Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and would-be candidate for the 2018 presidential election, released a video online late Sunday calling on his supporters to gather in central Moscow rather than the north-eastern location allocated by city officials.
"We are cancelling the rally on Sakharova (street) and relocating our very peaceful event to Tverskaya (street)," Navalny said.
Alongside the Moscow demonstration, another 212 protests are expected to be held across the country as part of a grassroots movement against corruption in the Kremlin.
Moscow's prosecutor's office said: "We are warning that any attempts to hold an unsanctioned event in Moscow will be a direct violation of the law" and that authorities would take all necessary measures to prevent provocations threatening public security.
In statements to a local radio station, Moscow's police chief Vladimir Chernikov warned that officers would detain anyone caught breaching peace with placards and slogans.
Unheeding to official warnings, Navalny insisted his supporters would turn out to protest like they did on March 26, when huge unauthorized opposition rallies led to the arrest of hundreds of people including Navalny himself.
Navalny has led a grassroots campaign against perceived corruption in Putin's inner circle.
The protests in March were called to demand the resignation of Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev.
--IANS
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