MOSCOW—A prominent Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, said he was briefly detained by police Thursday as authorities initiated legal proceedings against him for organizing illegal protests. Earlier, Navalny had predicted that he was likely to be jailed for the period around the election. Read more: Putin critic Alexei Navalny arrested during election protests by Russian oppositionArticle Continued BelowRussia opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he could defeat Putin in a fair election Russia opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s calls to boycott election may be illegal: Kremlin Navalny is barred from running in the election because of a criminal conviction that he and most rights advocates say was fabricated. At the end of January, Navalny organized a series of rallies attended by thousands to protest the Kremlin in sub-zero temperatures. Navalny also organized large-scale protests in June and in March, but he could not fully take part in them because police detained him each time.

Source: thestar February 22, 2018 17:48 UTC