Moscow (CNN) A series of anti-corruption protests swept through Russia on Sunday, leading to the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators, including top Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny . Outwardly the protests appear to be in response to a long-form "investigation" that Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation posted on YouTube . Certainly a lot more than anyone was expecting, with Sunday's crowds believed to be the largest since anti-government protests in 2011. Unsanctioned demonstrations emerged in multiple cities across Russia including St. Petersburg and Vladivostok, according to local media reports. First arrests happening at planned Navalny protest in Moscow #Russia #cnn A post shared by Fred Pleitgen (@fpleitgencnn) on Mar 26, 2017 at 3:17am PDTHow did the Kremlin respond?

Source: CNN March 27, 2017 18:11 UTC