Russian police arrest pro-Navalny protesters

Protesters from Siberia to St. Petersburg to Moscow took to the streets of Russian cities on a bitterly cold Saturday to condemn the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russian police arrested more than 3,000 protesters across the country, including Navalny’s wife, Yulia, in Moscow.

What’s behind the protests? Navalny, 44, was poisoned and went into a coma on Aug. 20. He was transferred to a hospital in Berlin, and tests showed he had been exposed to a Soviet-era nerve agent. He returned to Russia on Jan. 17 and was arrested. He could face more than three years in jail for alleged fraud and money laundering—charges Navalny says are politically motivated. Navalny has campaigned against corruption in the government of President Vladimir Putin. Supporters of Navalny have called for protests again next weekend.

Dig deeper: Read Rachel Lynn Aldrich’s report in The Sift about accusations that high-level officials in Russia ordered Navalny’s poisoning.