After China and Hong Kong, now Russia has accused the U.S. of fueling and influencing protesters in Moscow. Watch the full video to know more.

Russia accuses U.S. of encouraging people to protest in Moscow

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days, and over 1,500 of his supporters were arrested after demonstrations across the nation on Monday against government corruption.

The protests were the second mass action since March called by Navalny, who has announced his intention to run for president next year and has drawn a new generation to the streets through a relentless online campaign.

A Moscow court, sitting late Monday, found the 41-year-old Navalny guilty of organising unauthorised protests and sentenced him to a month in administrative custody, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter.

The OVD-Info rights group told AFP that more than 1,500 of his supporters had been arrested during the protests across the country, including 823 in Moscow where riot police tried to push the crowds back, sometimes by beating them with batons.

As riot police grabbed people and led them to police vans others demonstrators shouted &quot;Shame!&quot;, &quot;Putin is a thief!&quot; and &quot;Freedom to Navalny!&quot;

Police held an estimated 600 protesters in Saint Petersburg, said the NGO, which tracks arrests and said more than 100 detentions had also been made in cities including Vladivostock, Kaliningrad, Norilsk and Sochi.&nbsp;

Thousands of Russians, many very young, chanted &quot;Russia without Putin!&quot; in the streets of dozens of cities during Monday&#39;s protests.

The United States condemned the arrests, a rare criticism of human rights violations and the Kremlin from Donald Trump&#39;s administration.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer called &quot;on the government of Russia to immediately release all peaceful protesters,&quot; detained in nationwide marches.

Navalny himself was picked up by police as he headed to the Moscow event.

Thousands took to the streets in other cities across Russia, with the authorities sanctioning some gatherings and banning others. Some reports said authorities threatened university students with expulsion if they attended.

Navalny&#39;s anti-corruption videos have needled the country&#39;s ruling elite and drawn crowds to the streets not seen since the protests against President Vladimir Putin&#39;s reelection for a third term in 2012.

&#39;Mired in corruption&#39;&nbsp;

Navalny, who plans to stand against Putin in presidential elections in March, appeared before a judge Monday evening. He faces up to 30 days in administrative custody for breaking rules on organising demonstrations, his lawyer said.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani voiced his concern after Navalny&#39;s arrest and an EU spokesman deplored &quot;the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters and the violence used by Russian authorities against them&quot;.

Rights group Amnesty International condemned &quot;alarming scenes&quot; of detentions and violence towards demonstrators, calling for their immediate release.

The recent rallies were galvanised by a film released by Navalny in early March, which accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling vast personal wealth through a shadowy network of foundations. It has been viewed over 22 million times.

&quot;Putin has been in power for 17 years and is not planning to leave. He has usurped all power,&quot; said protester Alexander Tyurin, 41.&nbsp;

Another protester Yevgeny, 19, said he had been expelled from university after participating in a previous rally.&nbsp;

&quot;Our government shouts that enemies are everywhere and is becoming closed in on itself,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;We want turnover among those in power. Pressure on young people has increased.&quot;&nbsp;

Navalny has brought a new generation to the streets through his embrace of YouTube. His team was broadcasting from a studio set up in Moscow, though the electricity was periodically cut, forcing the presenter to speak in total darkness.

Moscow police said Navalny would be charged with administrative offences of resisting arrest and a second violation of demonstration organisation rules.

Russia Day

The wave of protests called by Navalny coincides with a public holiday, Russia Day, when Putin hands out awards and holds a reception in the Kremlin.&nbsp;

Turnout was difficult to calculate as ordinary people mingled with those protesting, but thousands filled the Tverskaya Street area in Moscow, many waving Russian flags and banners.

On the eve of the event -- which was authorised -- Navalny announced the protest was changing location to Tverskaya because the authorities had blocked his efforts to set up a stage and sound equipment.

They &quot;are forbidding any contractors from getting us a stage and sound,&quot; he wrote on his blog Sunday.&nbsp;

&quot;We are cancelling the rally on Sakharov Avenue and moving it to Tverskaya Street,&quot; a main thoroughfare to the Kremlin, he said.

The protest ended up coinciding with City Hall Russia Day events such as the reenactment of various eras in Russian history, from World War I trenches to a Renaissance fair and sword fighting.

In surreal scenes, dozens of buses filled by policemen were parked nearby ahead of the rally while ordinary people gawked at actors in period costumes.

Later, however, riot police and the national guard moved in, even on people sitting in nearby cafes, shouting &quot;Go away! There is an unauthorised protest here!&quot;

Thousands of Russians, many very young, chanted 'Russia without Putin!'?in the streets of dozens of cities during Monday's protests

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days, and over 1,500 of his supporters were arrested after demonstrations across the nation on Monday against government corruption. The protests were the second mass action since March called by Navalny, who has announced his intention to run for president next year and has drawn a new generation to the streets through a relentless online campaign. A Moscow court, sitting late Monday, found the 41-year-old Navalny guilty of organising unauthorised protests and sentenced him to a month in administrative custody, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter. The OVD-Info rights group told AFP that more than 1,500 of his supporters had been arrested during the protests across the country, including 823 in Moscow where riot police tried to push the crowds back, sometimes by beating them with batons. As riot police grabbed people and led them to police vans others demonstrators shouted "Shame!", "Putin is a thief!" and "Freedom to Navalny!" Police held an estimated 600 protesters in Saint Petersburg, said the NGO, which tracks arrests and said more than 100 detentions had also been made in cities including Vladivostock, Kaliningrad, Norilsk and Sochi. Thousands of Russians, many very young, chanted "Russia without Putin!" in the streets of dozens of cities during Monday's protests. The United States condemned the arrests, a rare criticism of human rights violations and the Kremlin from Donald Trump's administration. White House spokesman Sean Spicer called "on the government of Russia to immediately release all peaceful protesters," detained in nationwide marches. Navalny himself was picked up by police as he headed to the Moscow event. Thousands took to the streets in other cities across Russia, with the authorities sanctioning some gatherings and banning others. Some reports said authorities threatened university students with expulsion if they attended. Navalny's anti-corruption videos have needled the country's ruling elite and drawn crowds to the streets not seen since the protests against President Vladimir Putin's reelection for a third term in 2012. 'Mired in corruption' Navalny, who plans to stand against Putin in presidential elections in March, appeared before a judge Monday evening. He faces up to 30 days in administrative custody for breaking rules on organising demonstrations, his lawyer said. European Parliament President Antonio Tajani voiced his concern after Navalny's arrest and an EU spokesman deplored "the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters and the violence used by Russian authorities against them". Rights group Amnesty International condemned "alarming scenes" of detentions and violence towards demonstrators, calling for their immediate release. The recent rallies were galvanised by a film released by Navalny in early March, which accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling vast personal wealth through a shadowy network of foundations. It has been viewed over 22 million times. "Putin has been in power for 17 years and is not planning to leave. He has usurped all power," said protester Alexander Tyurin, 41. Another protester Yevgeny, 19, said he had been expelled from university after participating in a previous rally. "Our government shouts that enemies are everywhere and is becoming closed in on itself," he said. "We want turnover among those in power. Pressure on young people has increased." Navalny has brought a new generation to the streets through his embrace of YouTube. His team was broadcasting from a studio set up in Moscow, though the electricity was periodically cut, forcing the presenter to speak in total darkness. Moscow police said Navalny would be charged with administrative offences of resisting arrest and a second violation of demonstration organisation rules. Russia Day The wave of protests called by Navalny coincides with a public holiday, Russia Day, when Putin hands out awards and holds a reception in the Kremlin. Turnout was difficult to calculate as ordinary people mingled with those protesting, but thousands filled the Tverskaya Street area in Moscow, many waving Russian flags and banners. On the eve of the event -- which was authorised -- Navalny announced the protest was changing location to Tverskaya because the authorities had blocked his efforts to set up a stage and sound equipment. They "are forbidding any contractors from getting us a stage and sound," he wrote on his blog Sunday. "We are cancelling the rally on Sakharov Avenue and moving it to Tverskaya Street," a main thoroughfare to the Kremlin, he said. The protest ended up coinciding with City Hall Russia Day events such as the reenactment of various eras in Russian history, from World War I trenches to a Renaissance fair and sword fighting. In surreal scenes, dozens of buses filled by policemen were parked nearby ahead of the rally while ordinary people gawked at actors in period costumes. Later, however, riot police and the national guard moved in, even on people sitting in nearby cafes, shouting "Go away! There is an unauthorised protest here!"

Russia: Opposition leader Navalny jailed, 1,500 arrested after wave of protests

The top US general in Iraq told reporters on Tuesday that a strike near the Islamic-State-held Syrian city of Raqqa last week appears to have killed dozens of militants and not civilians.

Last week the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air strike that hit a school sheltering displaced people killed at least 33 people, adding it believed the strike was carried out by the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in the area.

&quot;I would tell you that we haven`t completed our assessment of that event yet, but my initial read is (it is) not credible,&quot; Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told reporters at a Pentagon via teleconference.&nbsp;

&quot;I think that was a clean strike,&quot; Townsend said.&nbsp;

&quot;We had multiple corroborating intelligence sources from various types of intelligence that told us the enemy was using that school and we observed it and we saw what we expected to see,&quot; Townsend said, adding that it appeared to have hit about 30 Islamic State militants.

(Reuters)

The ministry said the protesters were being held on charges of disrupting public order during a non-authorised demonstration

The top US general in Iraq told reporters on Tuesday that a strike near the Islamic-State-held Syrian city of Raqqa last week appears to have killed dozens of militants and not civilians. Last week the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air strike that hit a school sheltering displaced people killed at least 33 people, adding it believed the strike was carried out by the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in the area. "I would tell you that we haven`t completed our assessment of that event yet, but my initial read is (it is) not credible," Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told reporters at a Pentagon via teleconference. "I think that was a clean strike," Townsend said. "We had multiple corroborating intelligence sources from various types of intelligence that told us the enemy was using that school and we observed it and we saw what we expected to see," Townsend said, adding that it appeared to have hit about 30 Islamic State militants. (Reuters)

Dozen Russia opposition protesters detained by police

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 15 days behind bars and fined Monday after staging the biggest anti-corruption protests in years, an act branded a &quot;provocation&quot; by the Kremlin.

The United States and the European Union have voiced deep concern after Navalny and more than 1,000 others were detained in the Moscow protest on Sunday, with the State Department describing the arrests as as an &quot;affront to democracy&quot;.

A Moscow district court ordered Navalny to serve 15 days in jail after having found him guilty of disobeying police orders. He was fined 20,000 rubles ($350) for having organised an unsanctioned protest.

The lawyer turned activist, 40, who has announced plans to run for president next year, called Sunday&#39;s protests after publishing a report accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling a property empire through a shadowy network of non-profit organisations.

&quot;The authorities are being accused of multi-million theft, but they remain silent,&quot; a haggard-looking Navalny said in court, insisting the protests were legal.&nbsp;

&quot;More than 1,000 people were arrested yesterday but it is impossible to arrest millions,&quot; the 40-year-old lawyer said.&nbsp;

About 7,000 to 8,000 people demonstrated in Moscow on Sunday, according to police figures, making it one of the biggest unauthorised rallies in President Vladimir Putin&#39;s 17 years in power.

The Kremlin called the protest &quot;a provocation and a lie&quot;, and claimed minors had been promised &quot;financial rewards&quot; to participate.&nbsp;

Demonstrations were held not just in Moscow and Russia&#39;s second city Saint Petersburg but also in a number of provincial cities where protests are rarely seen.

They attracted a significant number of minors born since Putin came to power. &nbsp;

&quot;I am very happy that a generation that wants to be citizens, that isn&#39;t afraid, was born in the country,&quot; Navalny said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russians&#39; &quot;civic stance&quot; &nbsp;would be respected if expressed legally but, without mentioning Navalny by name, suggested &quot;some people will continue using (politically) active people... to their own ends, calling them to illegal and unauthorised actions&quot;.

EU calls for protesters&#39; release&nbsp;

Navalny was arrested as he was walking to the Moscow protest and another 1,030 people were detained, according to OVD-Info, a website that monitors detentions of activists.&nbsp;

The vast majority were fined and released overnight, while about 120 remained in custody on Monday, OVD-Info said.&nbsp;

One policeman was hospitalised after suffering a head injury, the interior ministry said.&nbsp;

The European Union urged Russia to release the demonstrators &quot;without delay&quot; and expressed concern that police action had &quot;prevented the exercise of basic freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly&quot;.

&quot;We call on the Russian authorities to abide fully by the international commitments it has made, including in the Council of Europe... to uphold these rights and to release without delay the peaceful demonstrators that have been detained.&quot;

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the detention of &quot;peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values&quot;.

&#39;Hope for a normal future&#39;&nbsp;

The protests drew comparisons with mass anti-government rallies that swept Russia in 2011 over vote-rigging after a parliamentary election, which snowballed into the biggest challenge against Putin since he took power in 2000.

Navalny said Sunday that he was &quot;proud&quot; of the demonstrators.

&quot;You are the country&#39;s best people and Russia&#39;s hope for a normal future,&quot; he wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;

Despite the scale of the protests, Russian state television news did not cover them, broadcasting soap operas and nature films instead.

Pro-Kremlin television host Vladimir Solovyov accused Navalny on-air Sunday of being a &quot;paid provocateur&quot; seeking to &quot;destroy&quot; the country.&nbsp;

The Russian constitution allows public gatherings when authorised by city authorities, but that privilege is rarely accorded to Kremlin critics.

Navalny won a surprise 27 percent of the vote in the Moscow mayoral election in 2013, and afterwards announced plans to seek the presidency.

But he has been the subject of several legal prosecutions, and in February was found guilty of embezzlement in a case he called politically motivated. He was given a five-year suspended sentence which could make him ineligible to run in next year&#39;s vote.

Navalny and his team, though ignored by official media, have taken their anti-corruption campaign online, using social media to expose the hidden fortunes of high-ranking officials.

(AFP)

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny led an agitation against Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev for allegedly controlling a property empire

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 15 days behind bars and fined Monday after staging the biggest anti-corruption protests in years, an act branded a "provocation" by the Kremlin. The United States and the European Union have voiced deep concern after Navalny and more than 1,000 others were detained in the Moscow protest on Sunday, with the State Department describing the arrests as as an "affront to democracy". A Moscow district court ordered Navalny to serve 15 days in jail after having found him guilty of disobeying police orders. He was fined 20,000 rubles ($350) for having organised an unsanctioned protest. The lawyer turned activist, 40, who has announced plans to run for president next year, called Sunday's protests after publishing a report accusing Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of controlling a property empire through a shadowy network of non-profit organisations. "The authorities are being accused of multi-million theft, but they remain silent," a haggard-looking Navalny said in court, insisting the protests were legal. "More than 1,000 people were arrested yesterday but it is impossible to arrest millions," the 40-year-old lawyer said. About 7,000 to 8,000 people demonstrated in Moscow on Sunday, according to police figures, making it one of the biggest unauthorised rallies in President Vladimir Putin's 17 years in power. The Kremlin called the protest "a provocation and a lie", and claimed minors had been promised "financial rewards" to participate. Demonstrations were held not just in Moscow and Russia's second city Saint Petersburg but also in a number of provincial cities where protests are rarely seen. They attracted a significant number of minors born since Putin came to power. "I am very happy that a generation that wants to be citizens, that isn't afraid, was born in the country," Navalny said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russians' "civic stance" would be respected if expressed legally but, without mentioning Navalny by name, suggested "some people will continue using (politically) active people... to their own ends, calling them to illegal and unauthorised actions". EU calls for protesters' release Navalny was arrested as he was walking to the Moscow protest and another 1,030 people were detained, according to OVD-Info, a website that monitors detentions of activists. The vast majority were fined and released overnight, while about 120 remained in custody on Monday, OVD-Info said. One policeman was hospitalised after suffering a head injury, the interior ministry said. The European Union urged Russia to release the demonstrators "without delay" and expressed concern that police action had "prevented the exercise of basic freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly". "We call on the Russian authorities to abide fully by the international commitments it has made, including in the Council of Europe... to uphold these rights and to release without delay the peaceful demonstrators that have been detained." US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the detention of "peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values". 'Hope for a normal future' The protests drew comparisons with mass anti-government rallies that swept Russia in 2011 over vote-rigging after a parliamentary election, which snowballed into the biggest challenge against Putin since he took power in 2000. Navalny said Sunday that he was "proud" of the demonstrators. "You are the country's best people and Russia's hope for a normal future," he wrote on Twitter. Despite the scale of the protests, Russian state television news did not cover them, broadcasting soap operas and nature films instead. Pro-Kremlin television host Vladimir Solovyov accused Navalny on-air Sunday of being a "paid provocateur" seeking to "destroy" the country. The Russian constitution allows public gatherings when authorised by city authorities, but that privilege is rarely accorded to Kremlin critics. Navalny won a surprise 27 percent of the vote in the Moscow mayoral election in 2013, and afterwards announced plans to seek the presidency. But he has been the subject of several legal prosecutions, and in February was found guilty of embezzlement in a case he called politically motivated. He was given a five-year suspended sentence which could make him ineligible to run in next year's vote. Navalny and his team, though ignored by official media, have taken their anti-corruption campaign online, using social media to expose the hidden fortunes of high-ranking officials. (AFP)

Russia's massive anti-graft protest leader detained for 15 days

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Russia accuses U.S. of encouraging people to protest in Moscow

Russia: Opposition leader Navalny jailed, 1,500 arrested after wave of protests

Dozen Russia opposition protesters detained by police

Russia's massive anti-graft protest leader detained for 15 days