International

Russian opposition leader arrested heading to Moscow protest

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested Sunday, according to multiple reports.

Navalny — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic — was arrested when he was on his way to a protest in Moscow.

Navalny organized the protests as part of an effort to encourage Russians to boycott the country’s presidential election in March.

{mosads}Russia’s Central Election Commission last year voted to stop Navalny from running against Putin, citing a conviction in a fraud case that many consider to be political pushback.

According to The Associated Press, about 1,000 people gathered Sunday in central Moscow’s Pushkin Square for a demonstration.

They held signs that read: “They’ve stolen the election from us” and “Elections without Navalny are fake.”

Navalny was arrested as he was heading to the protest. After his arrest, he said on Twitter that he had been detained.
 
“This doesn’t mean anything. You didn’t come out for me, but for your future,” he added.