Russian opposition leader, 250 protestors arrested amid mass rallies

Moscow: Prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny and around 250 others were arrested on Monday in anti-corruption demonstrations across the country, the media reported.

According to local media, some 150 people were arrested in the thousands-strong rally in St. Petersburg, while at least 97 others were detained in Moscow, where crowds chanted slogans against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Efe news reported.

Images showed clusters of heavily-equipped police officers grabbing protestors by every limb and carrying them away.

Navalny`s wife Julia tweeted that her husband had been arrested as he left his house in Moscow to attend the largest of the rallies, whose location he had changed the day before despite police warnings of reprisals.

Navalny`s spokeswoman Kira Yarmish, said power at their office had been cut by authorities.

Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and would-be candidate for the 2018 presidential election, released a video online late Sunday calling on his supporters to gather in central Moscow rather than the north-eastern location allocated by city officials.

"We are cancelling the rally on Sakharova (street) and relocating our very peaceful event to Tverskaya (street)," Navalny said.

Alongside the Moscow demonstration, another 212 protests are expected to be held across the country as part of a grassroots movement against corruption in the Kremlin.

Moscow`s prosecutor`s office said: "We are warning that any attempts to hold an unsanctioned event in Moscow will be a direct violation of the law" and that authorities would take all necessary measures to prevent provocations threatening public security.

In statements to a local radio station, Moscow`s police chief Vladimir Chernikov warned that officers would detain anyone caught breaching peace with placards and slogans.

Unheeding to official warnings, Navalny insisted his supporters would turn out to protest like they did on March 26, when huge unauthorized opposition rallies led to the arrest of hundreds of people including Navalny himself.

Navalny has led a grassroots campaign against perceived corruption in Putin`s inner circle.

The protests in March were called to demand the resignation of Prime Minster Dmitry Medvedev.