More than 1,000 people have been arrested after demonstrating outside Moscow city hall against the exclusion of opposition candidates from a local election , scheduled for 8 June . Sergei Sobyanin , Moscow 's mayor , said the gathering was a " security exercise " . Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days after calling for the unauthorised demonstration , aiming to capitalise on the unpopularity of the United Russia party and a slump in President Vladimir Putin 's ratings .
More than 1,000 people have been arrested after demonstrating outside Moscow city hall against the exclusion of opposition candidates from a local election, scheduled for 8 September. Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow's mayor, said the gathering was a "security threat". Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days after calling for the unauthorised demonstration, aiming to capitalise on the unpopularity of the United Russia party and a slump in President Vladimir Putin's ratings.