A day after imposing massive fines on Meta and Goggle over failure to delete illegal content, Russia has now blocked the website of the OVD-Info protest-monitoring group after the court ruling. The group has documented anti-Kremlin protests for years.&nbsp;

For the unversed, OVD-Info is an independent Russian human rights media project aimed at combating political persecution. However, Russia is on a spree to crackdown on dissent.&nbsp;

On Saturday (December 25), OVD-Info said that Russia's communication watchdog had blocked its website earlier this week. The monitoring group is also known for providing legal support to victims of political persecution.&nbsp;

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While informing the ruling, the group tweeted, "At the moment, we have not received a notice and do not know the reason for being blocked."

It is important to note that a Roskomnadzor registry of blocked websites showed that a Moscow region court had issued a ruling dated December 20 to "limit" access to the site.&nbsp;

However, later Saturday, Russian news agencies cited Roskomnadzor as confirming that it had blocked OVD-Info's website, as reported by AFP.&nbsp;

The Moscow region court had ruled that the group's activities were aimed at promoting "terrorism and extremism" in Russia.

Roskomnadzor added that it had sent "demands" to social media networks to "delete the organisation's accounts".

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Meta and Google fined

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has been slapped with a massive fine on Friday (December 24) by a Moscow court for failing to remove content that is deemed illegal.&nbsp;

The court's press service revealed on a messaging app Telegram that Meta has been fined $27 million. The court also informed that it has imposed a fine of $98 million on Google.&nbsp;

A day after imposing massive fines on Meta and Goggle over failure to delete illegal content, Russia has now blocked the website of the OVD-Info protest-monitoring group after the court ruling.

A day after imposing massive fines on Meta and Goggle over failure to delete illegal content, Russia has now blocked the website of the OVD-Info protest-monitoring group after the court ruling. The group has documented anti-Kremlin protests for years. For the unversed, OVD-Info is an independent Russian human rights media project aimed at combating political persecution. However, Russia is on a spree to crackdown on dissent. On Saturday (December 25), OVD-Info said that Russia's communication watchdog had blocked its website earlier this week. The monitoring group is also known for providing legal support to victims of political persecution. ALSO READ | Russian President Vladimir Putin says Western diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics is a mistake While informing the ruling, the group tweeted, "At the moment, we have not received a notice and do not know the reason for being blocked." It is important to note that a Roskomnadzor registry of blocked websites showed that a Moscow region court had issued a ruling dated December 20 to "limit" access to the site. However, later Saturday, Russian news agencies cited Roskomnadzor as confirming that it had blocked OVD-Info's website, as reported by AFP. The Moscow region court had ruled that the group's activities were aimed at promoting "terrorism and extremism" in Russia. Roskomnadzor added that it had sent "demands" to social media networks to "delete the organisation's accounts". ALSO READ | Amid row with Ukraine, Russia tests Tsirkon hypersonic missile system Meta and Google fined Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has been slapped with a massive fine on Friday (December 24) by a Moscow court for failing to remove content that is deemed illegal. The court's press service revealed on a messaging app Telegram that Meta has been fined $27 million. The court also informed that it has imposed a fine of $98 million on Google.

Russia blocks website of protest monitoring group for allegedly promoting 'terrorism and extremism'

What started as a Facebook post during a wave of mass protests in Russia eight years ago has turned into a rights group that helps arrested demonstrators one in increasing demand as police crackdown hard on opposition rallies.

What started as a Facebook post during a wave of mass protests in Russia eight years ago has turned into a rights group that helps arrested demonstrators one in increasing demand as police crackdown hard on opposition rallies. OVD-Info, which has around 27 staff, more than 300 volunteers and a small office in Moscow, is the first port of call for those detained by police at protests. The group has a 24-hour hotline, a large team of lawyers and is seen as a reliable source for the number of overall arrests at events The group started in December 2011, when two young Muscovites were looking for their friends who had been detained at rallies against Vladimir Putin's planned return to the Kremlin after a term as prime minister. The two men, Grigory Okhotin and Daniil Beilinson, scoured police stations and wrote up a list of the detainees that they posted on Facebook. It was the first of many posts by OVD-Info, whose name derives from an abbreviation for the police station. Eight years on, the NGO says it aims to make sure no one faces the vagaries of the Russian criminal justice system alone. The group has been in the spotlight over the last month, as some 3,000 people have been detained at ongoing Moscow protests calling for fair local elections. Out of these, 13 face serious criminal charges for allegedly organising "mass disorder" and violence against police. "All the same, I can assure you that they were protesting peacefully," said 54-year-old Alla Frolova, the group's legal coordinator. Confusing procedures During and after a protest, OVD-Info is the first number to call for those detained. It notes the police stations where those arrested are heading to and sends lawyers. The NGO tries to deploy lawyers promptly, as police stations in the country are known for their confusing procedures and the risk of violence against detainees. "They do hide some things from us because the law gets broken many times," said Frolova, who nevertheless stresses that the group seeks dialogue with police. One of those to receive assistance from the NGO recently was Moscow student Alexander Finiarel, 24, who was detained at demonstrations on July 27 and August 3. OVD-Info provided him with a lawyer free of charge after his friends reported him to the group as among the detained. "OVD-Info gave us some advice on the right way to behave with the police. And they calmed us down, basically," said Finiarel. "We had a sense that they were looking out for us and helping us." The NGO, whose staff are mainly in their 20s and 30s, uses social media and a chat on the Telegram messenger service to gain information on detentions and post updates. The group is part of a "new generation of rights activists," says Frolova even if one of its major donors is a long-running Russian rights group Memorial, which documents Soviet-era persecutions as well as highlighting current abuses. Psychological help Frolova was in court on Wednesday to watch a case against Konstantin Kotov, an activist who risks five years in jail for breaking various laws around holding protests. Kotov has a free lawyer provided by OVD-Info, Maria Eismont. Eismont is a former journalist who retrained as a lawyer. The recent wave of detentions has kept her busy. "As soon as I get home before I have time to drink a glass of wine, they're calling me," she said with a smile. She goes to help detainees at police stations and later represents them in court. "This is a political battle, not a legal one... I'm not naive and I know the verdict isn't decided here (in court). But in any case, all the documents have to be here." "Afterwards there's always the chance of winning at the European Court of Human Rights." When cases have gone through courts in Russia, the NGO says it files as many appeals as possible with the European court. OVD-Info also receives a grant from the rights watchdog Council of Europe which accounted for almost 35 per cent of its budget last year. The rest comes from donations and fundraising. After the protests began this summer, OVD-Info says it received more than 100,000 euros in donations in July, a record. Leonid Drabkin, 27, who is in charge of fundraising, says that such generosity is hardly surprising. "When you're a light in the darkness, people are bound to trust you."

For Russia's detained protesters, rights group is first on the scene

Russian police raided the Moscow headquarters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Sunday after his supporters began a day of nationwide protests, calling for a boycott of what they said would be a rigged presidential election in March.

Police forced their way into Navalny`s office using power tools, citing reports of a bomb threat, an online feed run by Navalny`s supporters showed.

Navalny also wrote on Twitter that he has been detained soon after joining a rally in Moscow on Sunday.

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Меня задержали. Это значения не имеет. Приходите на Тверскую. Вы не за меня выходите, а за себя и своё будущее.
&mdash; Alexey Navalny (@navalny) <a href="https://twitter.com/navalny/status/957578736001536000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Navalny has been barred from running in the March 18 election which polls show incumbent president Vladimir Putin is on track to easily win. Though Navalny says he knows Putin will be re-elected, his spoiler campaign is aimed at lowering voter turnout to try to take the shine off a Putin win.

Six of Navalny`s allies were detained during the police raid, OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said. It said they were among more than 60 people detained across Russia by 1300 Moscow time.&nbsp;

Police shut down a TV studio at Navalny`s office during the same raid which had been broadcasting online news bulletins, but another studio in a different location continued to operate.

In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, just under 900 miles (1448.41 km) east of Moscow, around 1,000 protesters gathered in temperatures of nearly -10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) to back Navalny`s boycott call.

&quot;No election? No to elections,&quot; a placard being held by one young man read. Other protesters waved Russian flags or red and white placards calling for a boycott.

&quot;We don`t yet have the right to vote,&quot; Masha, 16, who declined to give her surname, told Reuters. &quot;But we need to think about the future and we want to live in a country where there will be honest elections.&quot;

Yevgeny Roizman, the city`s opposition-minded mayor, said he backed a boycott. &quot;When you see injustice and lies and you can`t change the situation you can at least not take part in it.&quot;

Navalny&#39;s supporters said they expected thousands of people to take part in similar demonstrations in 118 towns and cities.

&quot;Your own life is at stake,&quot; Navalny said in a pre-protest video. &quot;How many more years to do you want to live with these thieves, bigots and creeps?&quot;&nbsp;

It was unclear where Navalny was, but a group of police officers was stationed near his home. Navalny said he planned to attend the Moscow protest later on Sunday.&nbsp;

Possible violence

Police warned beforehand they would harshly suppress any illegal protest activity and authorities refused to authorise events in Moscow and St Petersburg, the country`s two biggest cities, raising the possibility of clashes.

A Reuters reporter saw a heavy police presence in central Moscow ahead of the protest, with a command centre and buses filled with policemen parked on side streets.&nbsp;

Navalny, a lawyer who has campaigned against official corruption, was barred from running for the presidency by the central election commission in December over what he said was a trumped-up suspended prison sentence.

The United States and the EU criticised the decision.

Putin, who has dominated the Russian political landscape for nearly two decades, described U.S. criticism of the election commission`s decision as crude interference in Russia`s internal affairs and suggested Navalny was Washington`s pick for the presidency.

Polls show Navalny had scant chance of beating Putin, but Navalny says the system is rigged against political opponents like himself which makes polls meaningless.

Police forced their way into Navalny`s office using power tools, citing reports of a bomb threat, an online feed run by Navalny's supporters showed

Russian police raided the Moscow headquarters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Sunday after his supporters began a day of nationwide protests, calling for a boycott of what they said would be a rigged presidential election in March. Police forced their way into Navalny`s office using power tools, citing reports of a bomb threat, an online feed run by Navalny`s supporters showed. Navalny also wrote on Twitter that he has been detained soon after joining a rally in Moscow on Sunday. Меня задержали. Это значения не имеет. Приходите на Тверскую. Вы не за меня выходите, а за себя и своё будущее. — Alexey Navalny (@navalny) January 28, 2018 × Navalny has been barred from running in the March 18 election which polls show incumbent president Vladimir Putin is on track to easily win. Though Navalny says he knows Putin will be re-elected, his spoiler campaign is aimed at lowering voter turnout to try to take the shine off a Putin win. Six of Navalny`s allies were detained during the police raid, OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said. It said they were among more than 60 people detained across Russia by 1300 Moscow time. Police shut down a TV studio at Navalny`s office during the same raid which had been broadcasting online news bulletins, but another studio in a different location continued to operate. In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, just under 900 miles (1448.41 km) east of Moscow, around 1,000 protesters gathered in temperatures of nearly -10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) to back Navalny`s boycott call. "No election? No to elections," a placard being held by one young man read. Other protesters waved Russian flags or red and white placards calling for a boycott. "We don`t yet have the right to vote," Masha, 16, who declined to give her surname, told Reuters. "But we need to think about the future and we want to live in a country where there will be honest elections." Yevgeny Roizman, the city`s opposition-minded mayor, said he backed a boycott. "When you see injustice and lies and you can`t change the situation you can at least not take part in it." Navalny's supporters said they expected thousands of people to take part in similar demonstrations in 118 towns and cities. "Your own life is at stake," Navalny said in a pre-protest video. "How many more years to do you want to live with these thieves, bigots and creeps?" It was unclear where Navalny was, but a group of police officers was stationed near his home. Navalny said he planned to attend the Moscow protest later on Sunday. Possible violence Police warned beforehand they would harshly suppress any illegal protest activity and authorities refused to authorise events in Moscow and St Petersburg, the country`s two biggest cities, raising the possibility of clashes. A Reuters reporter saw a heavy police presence in central Moscow ahead of the protest, with a command centre and buses filled with policemen parked on side streets. Navalny, a lawyer who has campaigned against official corruption, was barred from running for the presidency by the central election commission in December over what he said was a trumped-up suspended prison sentence. The United States and the EU criticised the decision. Putin, who has dominated the Russian political landscape for nearly two decades, described U.S. criticism of the election commission`s decision as crude interference in Russia`s internal affairs and suggested Navalny was Washington`s pick for the presidency. Polls show Navalny had scant chance of beating Putin, but Navalny says the system is rigged against political opponents like himself which makes polls meaningless.

Russian opposition leader Navalny detained in Moscow

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Russia blocks website of protest monitoring group for allegedly promoting 'terrorism and extremism'

For Russia's detained protesters, rights group is first on the scene

Russian opposition leader Navalny detained in Moscow