Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and around 1,600 anti-Kremlin activists were detained by police on Saturday during street protests against Vladimir Putin ahead of his inauguration for a fourth term as president. Navalny had called for demonstrations in more than 90 towns and cities across Russia against what he says is Putin's autocratic, czar-like rule. Before his detention, he briefly addressed supporters in central Moscow, leading them in chants of 'Down with the Czar!" It cited its sources at the Moscow protest as saying pro-Kremlin Cossacks had beaten protesters with leather whips, sparking a fight. Opposition supporters walk during a protest rally ahead of Putin's inauguration ceremony in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

Source: CBC News May 05, 2018 12:59 UTC