Massive anti-graft rally in Russia

Moscow, March 26 

Thousands of Russians demonstrated across the country today to protest corruption, defying bans on rallies which were called by prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny — who was detained along with more than 130 people.

“Over 130 people have been detained in Moscow,” the group, OVD Info, said on Twitter, with more detentions ongoing in the city centre where police had used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. 

Navalny called for the protests after publishing a detailed report this month accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling a property empire through a shadowy network of non-profit organisations. The report has been viewed over 11 million times on YouTube but Medvedev has so far made no comments on the claims.

Navalny, who has announced his intention to run for President in next year’s election, has been rallying supporters in major Russian cities in recent weeks.

In Moscow, Navalny called on supporters to walk along the main Tverskaya street, and people congregated on the nearby squares lined with dozens of police vans and rows of riot officers as a police helicopter hovered overhead.

Between 3,000 and 4,000 people filled  Pushkin square, with some shouting “Russia without Putin”.   — AFP