Moscow Police Clash With Alexei Navalny Supporters as Tens of Thousands Rally, Over 1,800 Arrested
Police clashed violently with protesters in Moscow and arrested more than 1,800 demonstrators in cities across the country Saturday as Russians took to the streets to denounce Kremlin rule and demand the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Tens of thousands demonstrated across Russia after Navalny called on his supporters to take to the streets this week following his detention in a Moscow airport on arrival from Germany, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal poisoning with the Novichok nerve agent. Protesters flooded Pushkin Square in central Moscow and nearby streets, pelting heavily armed riot police with snowballs, but were detained in large numbers and beaten back by law enforcement wielding batons. The protesters spilled out onto the Russian capital's main thoroughfare, Tverskaya Street, and marched towards the Kremlin before dispersing throughout the city centre. Protesters at one point massed on the steps of Moscow's circus, illuminating the crowds wit