Police detain anti-Putin activists on his b’day

Bloomberg

Police detained activists in several Russian cities as supporters of opposition leader Alexey Navalny heeded his call to turn out on Saturday for nationwide protests to mark President Vladimir Putin’s birthday.
Navalny, who’s serving a 20-day sentence for organising an illegal demonstration, recently has drawn thousands of people to a series of campaign events across Russia in support of his bid to run for president in March. Hundreds of people crowded into Moscow’s central Pushkin Square, some holding Russian flags and yellow ducks that have become a symbol of government corruption.
“I came here to show I don’t agree with the political system today,” said Olga Mytina, a 24-year-old teacher. She predicted “mass protests” after the presidential election.
The scale of the latest demonstrations organised
by Navalny, who inspired
the largest anti-government protests in at least five years in March and June, will be closely watched in the Kremlin as a sign of the depth of his support as Putin prepares to seek a record fourth term.