Navalny had called on his supporters to protest after being arrested last weekend as he returned to Moscow for the first time since being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in August. Navalny had been treated in Germany.

In central Moscow, police detained at least 100 people before the protest had even begun, bundling them into nearby vans. Around 1,000 people had gathered before the rally was due to start at 1100 GMT.

Some chanted “Putin is a thief” and “Disgrace” as police swept people off the streets.

Video footage from Vladivostok showed riot police chasing a group of protesters down the street, while demonstrators in Khabarovsk, braving temperatures of around -14 Celsius , chanted “Bandits!”

The largest opposition rallies are expected in Moscow and St Petersburg, where police have already cordoned off main squares to divert the crowds. Russian media have also reported sightings of heavy military vehicles on the outskirts of Moscow, although it was unclear if they were related to the protests.

Navalny’s allies have said the rallies are their best chance of convincing the Kremlin to free him.