According to the independent OVD-Info website that monitors the arrests, 369 people have been arrested as of Saturday noon Moscow time.
The demonstrations began in Vladivostok, in Russia’s far east, and spread to the west as the day progressed. On Friday, Navalny’s supporters said they were planning to protest in 90 cities, and videos posted on social media showed crowds of people gathering in Vladivostok and a number of cities across Siberia and central Russia.
One of the videos showed a small protest in the city of Yakutsk, with temperatures dropping to -53 ° C (-63 ° F) on Saturday.
By early afternoon, crowds of people began to gather in Pushkin Square in central Moscow, where the largest protest was expected. They were met by riot police Dozens of demonstrators were arrested even before the protest officially began.
The demonstrations did not receive official government permission and the authorities warned people not to attend.
Several of Navalny’s allies were arrested this week for inciting the protests, including his spokesman Kira Yarmisch, Anti-Corruption Foundation investigator Georgy Alborov and opposition activist Lyubov Sobol.
Navalny’s Moscow office coordinator, Oleg Stepanov, was arrested on Saturday, according to a tweet from Navalny’s team in Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the United States of encouraging protests after the US Embassy in Russia posted an alert on its website advising American citizens to avoid demonstrations.
The ministry said in a tweet posted on Saturday that publishing information about the gatherings “is in line with Washington’s provocative policy to encourage protests in countries whose governments the United States considers unwanted.”
Under Russian law, a formal appeal to approve a protest must be submitted to local authorities at least 10 days before the event. Navalny was arrested just less than a week ago, so the organizers had little time to file an appeal.
The Russian internet regulator said on Thursday that it plans to fine major social networks, including Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, for “posting information prohibited by law and aimed at attracting minors to participate in unauthorized mass public events.”
Fred Pletgen, Venus of God, Matthew Chance and Anna Chernova in Moscow contributed to this report.
