Russian police detained Lyubov Sobol, a close ally of Aleksei Navalny, at a rally in central Moscow calling for the release of the opposition leader and Kremlin critic. Navalny was jailed last weekend upon returning to Moscow after medical treatment in Germany for Novichok poisoning. Sobol was speaking to reporters in a crowd of people on January 23 when riot police swooped in and surrounded her. She was herded through the crowd to a waiting police van, where she was taken away. The Kremlin has said the nationwide protests are illegal. Hundreds have been detained.

This post was originally published on Radio Free.