Navalny: Police detain hundreds as protests spread across Russia

An estimated 1,600 people were detained on Saturday by riot police during nationwide protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, foremost critic of Vladimir Putin. Navalny’s wife Yulia said she was detained in Moscow where tens of thousands gathered. He was arrested on Jan. 17 on his return home from Germany after recovering from a near-fatal poisoning attack. The Russian authorities earlier warned there would be a tough crackdown on “unauthorized demonstrations” and “provocations” would be “immediately suppressed.” But the demonstrations continue to spread. Several of Navalny’s close associates were arrested earlier.