26 Jan 2018 17:01

Police detains 3 volunteers from Navalny's Moscow HQ - press secretary

MOSCOW. Jan 26 (Interfax) - Three volunteers at Alexei Navalny's Moscow headquarters have been detained by the police, the opposition leader's press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, said.

"There is a police van waiting at the entrance to the headquarters, and policemen are seizing volunteers and taking them to the local police department," Yarmysh told Interfax.

Three people have been detained, she said.

Navalny's supporters have also been taken by the police in Kirov and Penza.

In Kirov, policemen seized two Navalny supporters, his local headquarters said on its page on a social network.

"The aide to the Kirov headquarters coordinator was picked up right after he left his home. Also, they have detained and arrested for 72 hours our active volunteer. The really interesting part is that he was stopped by traffic police. Like in a real interception action," the headquarters said.

In Penza, police officers detained the coordinator of Navalny's local headquarters, the headquarters said on social media.

"The headquarters coordinator Anton Strunin was once again detained for putting up posters containing an invitation to an authorized rally scheduled for January 28," activists from the headquarters said.

Meanwhile, Kaliningrad police are busy seizing posters and leaflets at Navalny's regional headquarters, the headquarters told Interfax on Friday.

"There are about ten policemen inside the headquarters now. They're seizing leaflets, posters, and stickers prepared for the rally scheduled for January 28. They're not standing on ceremony. They said they're going to seize computers, too. They have produced no warrants to prove their power to search [the premises]," an activist told Interfax.