Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained in Moscow on a day of protests across the nation against President Vladimir Putin.
His arrest came as hundreds gathered in the county’s capital to rally against Mr Putin’s regime, calling for voters to boycott the presidential election in March.
Footage posted on Mr Navalny’s Twitter page showed him being wrestled to the ground by police officers.
Following the incident, Mr Navalny, 41, wrote on the social media site in Russian: “I have been detained… this means nothing” as he urged his followers to join the widespread demonstrations.
It comes after Mr Navalny, Putin's most vocal critic, was barred from standing in the 18 March election.
The opposition leader later tweeted: "The detention of one person is meaningless if there are many of us. Someone, come and replace me."
Protests are being held in a number of Russian cities. In Moscow and St Petersburg they were not sanctioned by authorities, according to reports.
