Moscow - Russian riot police detained opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny on Monday after a protest challenging Vladimir Putin's victory in a presidential election.
“Hello everyone from the police van,” Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger, said on Twitter. At least one other protest leader was detained, witnesses at the scene said.
Riot police tried to disperse a group of protesters who remained on Moscow's Pushkin Square, the scene of dissident demonstrations in Soviet times, after a rally calling for new elections and political reforms.
Protest leaders said about 20,000 people attended the rally. Police said 14 000 people attended. - Reuters