Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was detained by police during an unauthorized protest rally in the center of Moscow, spokesman for Navalny's presidential election campaign Ruslan Shaveddinov told Sputnik.
A Sputnik correspondent also reported from the scene that the police asked the crowd at Pushkin Square to leave and not to interfere with the passage of other citizens, warning about the possibility of using force in case of disobedience.
After that, the police began to detain the participants of the unsanctioned rally, some of whom threw the bushes pulled out of the lawns into the law enforcement officers.
According to the information from the police, at least 1,500 are taking part in the rally in Moscow, which resulted in more than 300 detentions.
Several hours earlier, a Sputnik correspondent reported of at least 13 people detained.
As a result of an unauthorized rally, traffic jams formed in some streets in the center of Moscow.
READ MORE: Russian Opposition Holds Rallies in Country's Major Cities Over Telegram Ban
In late April, Moscow authorities authorized holding a rally on May 5 on the Academician Sakharov Avenue, but Navalny was insisting on holding a march along the central Tverskaya Street on his Twitter account, despite a ban from Moscow authorities.
The Moscow prosecutor's office warned Navalny about the inadmissibility of law violations, while Russian children ombudswoman Anna Kuznetsova urged not to manipulate minors who are involved in protest actions.
