Live Updates: Up to 2,000, Including Journalists, Attend Unauthorised Rally in Moscow

The Moscow ombudswoman for children’s rights said her office was not notified about any minors being taken into police custody during Sunday’s protests in the Russian capital.

"We have not received any reports yet," Olga Yaroslavskaya said, adding her office would do everything in its powers to protect children.

Almost 2,000 people gathered for an unsanctioned rally in Moscow for the second weekend, according to the police. Protesters demand that opposition activist Alexei Navalny be freed from jail.

Thousands took part in nationwide protests on 23 January. The Russian Interior Ministry and chief prosecutor’s office warned that civil unrest was punishable by lengthy jail terms.

The Russian president’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov called organisers of such demonstrations provocateurs. President Vladimir Putin said that everyone had the right to freedom of opinion but "anything that goes beyond the law is not just counterproductive but dangerous."

Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of jailed Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, has been released after being detained at an unauthorized rally in Moscow, lawyer Svetlana Davydova said on Sunday.

According to the lawyer, police drew up a protocol on her for participating in an unauthorized action that caused disruptions for the movement of pedestrians and vehicles.

"After drawing up the protocol, she was let home from the police station," Davydova said.

The lawyer added that Yulia's case would be heard in a Moscow district court on Monday.

During protests in support of Navalny last week, Yulia was also detained. She posted a selfie on Instagram that appeared to show her inside a police van. A source said three hours after Yulia’s arrest that she had been let go.

At least three attacks on law enforcement officers were recorded during an unauthorized protest in St. Petersburg, one suspect has been detained, a source said Sunday.

"Three attacks against law enforcement officers took place at the unauthorized protests in St. Petersburg. One of the suspects has been apprehended," the source said.

Two attacks in question were registered at Pionerskaya Square, and one at Sennaya Square.

Earlier in the day, a Sputnik correspondent reported a policeman getting injured at the Isaakievskaya Square. The officer, dressed in uniform with the OMON riot police patch on his back, was said to have been unable to move on his own and required assistance from two of his colleagues to move past installed barriers.

This weekend, Russia has seen the second wave of unauthorized protests in support of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, who was detained in Moscow earlier this month upon his arrival at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Before Navalny's return to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for his alleged poisoning, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service warned it would arrest him for probation violations as he was previously found guilty of committing two administrative offences.

The police of St. Petersburg on Sunday refuted to Sputnik the media reports about the use of flashbang grenades and pepper spray to disperse a crowd participating in an unauthorized protest at the Sennaya Square.

"The Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region has refuted the use of special equipment like flashbang grenades and pepper spray by police officers while stopping public order violations," the directorate said.

For the second consecutive weekend, the country has been hit by unauthorized protests in support of opposition figure Alexey Navalny, who was detained in Moscow earlier this month upon his arrival at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Before Navalny's return to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for his alleged poisoning, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service warned it would arrest him for probation violations as he was previously found guilty of committing two administrative offences.

The Russian ombudswoman said she will look into reports of police using stun guns on unarmed protesters in St. Petersburg on Sunday.

Short clips shared on social media appeared to show protesters being prodded with electroshock devices before they were carried away by police officers in riot gear.

"Every such incident needs to be thoroughly clarified to see whether it happened and how it was filmed. We need to listen to both sides to make a decision," Tatyana Moskalkova said.

Protesters gathered for an illegal rally in Saint Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg. A Sputnik correspondent said at least once police officer appeared to have been injured under unclear circumstances.

Parallel protests took place across Russia in what was the second weekend of demonstrations organized illegally to put pressure on the government over opposition activist Alexei Navalny’s detention.

Some 2,000 people demonstrated in Moscow, according to the police. Emergency authorities said that a van belonging to the National Guard caught fire due to a "technical glitch." No one was hurt.

Approximately 60 journalists have been detained during unauthorized protests across Russia, the chairman of the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ), Vladimir Solovyev, said on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the RUJ head mentioned 35 detentions.

"[As of] 19:00 [16:00 GMT], it is approaching 60," Solovyev said when asked about the number of detained journalists.

Unauthorised protests have concluded in most of the major cities in western Russia, Sputnik correspondents reported Sunday.

Unauthorised protests took place in several Central Federal District cities, including Yaroslavl, Ryazan, Kostroma and Voronezh. In Southern Russia, protests occurred in Volgograd and Krasnodar, while in the northwestern region protest were reported in St.Petersburg, Murmansk and Kaliningrad. In most of those places, save for St.Petersburg, the rallies have been finished.

There have been varying numbers of arrests by the police, with the largest one, 42, was reported from Volgograd.

Meanwhile, Moscow has reopened seven subway stations that were shut down ahead of the unauthorised protests.

"Mosmetro [the Moscow Metro]: all stations are working as usual," the city's transport department said on Telegram.

The stations in question are Aleksandrovskiy Sad, Okhotniy Ryad, Lubyanka, Teatralnaya, Kitay Gorod, Ploschad Revolyutsii, Kuznetskiy Most, which were closed starting 05:00 GMT.

For the second consecutive weekend, the country has been hit by unauthorised protests in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was detained in Moscow earlier this month upon his arrival at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Before Navalny's return to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for his alleged poisoning, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service warned it would arrest him for probation violations as he was previously found guilty of committing two administrative offences.

Two young women have been detained near the Matrosskaya Tishina detention facility in Moscow's eastern district of Sokolniki while they were taking pictures against the background of police officers with a white-red-white flag used by the Belarusian opposition, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.

One of the girls took the flag out of her backpack and then asked a bystander to take a photo of them. Right after that, police officers approached to detain them.

The detentions are made amid unauthorized protests that are going for the second consecutive weekend in support of jailed Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in Moscow and a number of other cities across the country.

Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said there was no place for aggression against police at protests, following a second weekend of unsanctioned nationwide rallies.

Moskalkova criticized protesters for provoking and antagonizing the police during Sunday's protests against the detention of opposition activist Alexey Navalny.

"It bears a striking similarity to acts of intimidation, rather than [a will to engage in] a dialogue or to an even lesser extent a fight for your rights… I again call for dialogue," the ombudswoman was quoted as saying by her press office.

The fire is blamed on a technical failure, the Russian National Guard's department in Moscow said.

Nobody was injured as a result of the incident, emergency services added. 

388 people detained in Moscow, 177 in Saint Petersburg, 164 in Krasnoyarsk, 120 in Vladivostok, 101 in Novosibirsk, according to the 'OVD-Info' monitor project.

Самый смелый (другими словами - отмороженный) решили кинуть бутылку в ОМОН в Петербурге.

В Капитолии в него бы уже полетела пуля в ответ.#Работайтебратья !
Всех потом по записям найти и чтоб присели. pic.twitter.com/pVPB8CrEN6

— Соня Соня (@SonyaSonyaya_) January 31, 2021

Social networks are blocking access to false information regarding unauthorised protests in support of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny at the request of Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor and Prosecutor General's Office, the watchdog said on Sunday.

The protests hit a number of Russian cities on Sunday and already resulted in detentions of its participants.

"The spread of false information regarding unauthorised rallies began on social networks. Based on the requirements of the Prosecutor General's Office and Roskomnadzor, the administration of social networks is blocking access to false information, with overstated figures on the numbers of participants in unauthorised rallies, on the alleged acts of violence and clashes, the death of participants in the actions," the watchdog wrote on Telegram.

Under the national legislation, website owners will be fined up to 4 million rubles ($ 52,662) if violate the procedure for restricting access to prohibited information.

The watchdog also recalled that the legislation provided for the blocking of prohibited information if it is not deleted.

Vladivostok: 150 protesters, 100 detained

Khabarovsk: 58 protesters, 13 detained

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy: 30 protesters, 9 detained

Yakutsk: 25 protesters, 9 detained

Yekaterinburg: 2,300 protesters, 32 detained.

Several people have been detained in St. Petersburg for taking part in unauthorized actions in support of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.

Ahead of the rally, police were patrolling Nevsky Avenue in the city centre, with the area being cordoned off. About an hour before the start of the action, its organisers announced that it would be moved to Pionerskaya Square. The police arrived at the scene and detained one of the participants before the start of the action. Then several more people were detained.

Last weekend, many Russian cities, including St. Petersburg, were also hit by protests in support of Navalny, who was detained in Moscow earlier this month upon his arrival at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Prior to Navalny's return to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for his alleged poisoning, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service warned it would arrest him for probation violations as he was previously found guilty of committing two administrative offences.

Detentions of participants in unauthorized actions in support of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny continue in Moscow, Sputnik correspondents reported on Sunday, adding that at least 66 people have already been arrested.

Among those detained in northern Moscow is a journalist and member of the Human Rights Council, Nikolai Svanidze. He was later released.

Law enforcement officers use loudspeakers to urge the protesters to observe order and disperse.

Meanwhile, according to the estimates of the Moscow Department of regional security and countering corruption, about 300 people are engaged in the unauthorised protests in the Russian capital.