Navalny accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of corruption this month Hundreds of Russians including Progress Party leader Alexei Navalny were arrested today as thousands defied bans to stage anti-corruption protests across the country.
Navalny called for the marches after publishing a detailed report this month accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling a property empire through a shadowy network of nonprofit organisations.
The report has been viewed over 11 million times on YouTube but so far Medvedev has made no comment on the claims.
Sunday's march in Moscow was one of the biggest unauthorised demonstrations in recent years, with police putting turnout at 8,000 people.
'The whole country is tired of corruption on such a scale,' 50-year-old Natalia Demidova said. 'Medvedev should be fired once such exposes come to light.'
Elsewhere, about 2,000 gathered in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, carrying signs such as 'No to corruption.'
Some held up images of yellow rubber ducks, following reports that Medvedev has a special house for a duck on one of his properties.
In Saint Petersburg, about 4,000 people gathered in the city centre. 'We're tired of the lies, we have to do something,' said protester Sergei Timofeyev.
Local media estimated about 1,500 people turned out in each of the Siberian cities of Krasnoyarsk and Omsk.
The Russian constitution allows public gatherings, but recent laws have criminalised protests unauthorised by city authorities, who frequently refuse to grant permission for rallies by Kremlin critics.
Navalny said on his website that 99 Russian cities planned to protest, but that in 72 of them the local authorities did not give permission, citing reasons such as street cleaning, a bell-ringing concert and rival events by various pro-Kremlin groups.