On March 29, at least 19 people were detained during protests against internet blocking in Russia, according to OVD-Info. Most of the detentions took place in Moscow, where police had cordoned off Bolotnaya Square in advance, blocked access to Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge and ordered people to disperse.
According to the latest figures, 14 people were detained in Moscow, two in St. Petersburg, two in Kaluga and one in Voronezh. Four of those detained were minors. The first person detained in the capital was 72-year-old human rights defender and Soviet dissident Alexander Podrabinek, who had been filming the gathering; he was released several hours later.
Later, police in Moscow detained several more participants, including journalist Ekaterina Wagner, her nephew Artur Wagner and a man carrying a “No to war” placard. According to rights advocates, Artur Wagner said he was beaten at the police station and pressured to testify against his aunt. Activists also said officers refused to pass basic necessities to those held overnight.
Another detainee, Vladislav Azarochkin, told rights defenders that several officers beat him at the Yakimanka police station, one of them in plain clothes. He said he was threatened with torture and rape. Reports also said his lawyer was initially denied access. Azarochkin, Alexander Shelestov, Suzanna S. and Ekaterina Wagner were later jailed for up to 15 days on charges of petty hooliganism and disobeying police.
Despite official refusals to authorize the rallies, protests also took place in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kaluga, Voronezh and other cities. In Kaluga, politician Konstantin Larionov and a volunteer were detained for putting up leaflets, but later released without charges. In Voronezh, libertarian activist Nikita Nesmeyanov was detained after a solo picket and later released as well.
Political analyst Fyodor Krasheninnikov said the harsh detentions were meant to show that protest is unacceptable and that the campaign itself may have been used to identify young people willing to take to the streets.