Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny briefly arrested
Russian politician Alexei Navalny was arrested on Thursday during a raid on his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) headquarters in Moscow, DW reported, citing his spokeswoman.
"Alexei was forcibly detained and taken away. He did not resist. Lawyers are still at the FBK, and there's a search underway," Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, wrote on Twitter.
He was released shortly afterwards, Yarmysh said.
Speaking to DW, Yarmysh said police timed the raid to coincide with the filming of an episode of Navalny's YouTube show "Navalny Live," so that "there can be no show."
She said last week's episode — which covered a shooting outside the FSB building and Putin’s press conference — garnered nearly 1.5 million views, a "record number."
"They didn’t like that success," she told DW, adding: "If they search our offices they can seize our technical equipment, so there can be no show."