20 people detained at unauthorised rally of Navalny supporters in Moscow

Around 20 people have been detained at an unauthorised rally in support of jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny in Moscow, the Public Observation Commission told Sputnik.

On Wednesday, the demonstrations took place across Russia amid the reports about Navalny's poor health condition despite the authorities' refusal to authorise the rallies. According to the Russian Interior Ministry, about 14,400 people joined the rallies in 29 Russian cities.

The rally in Moscow, like in other cities, has already come to an end. The Interior Minister said that some 6,000 people took part in the demonstration in the Russian capital.

In January, Navalny returned to Moscow from Berlin after receiving medical treatment for his alleged poisoning. The opposition figure was arrested on arrival and referred to a court, which in early February rescinded his suspended sentence in the 2014 Yves Rocher fraud case over multiple probation breaches and replaced it with a 3.5-year term behind bars. A Moscow city court reinstated the ruling but reduced the sentence to 2.5 years.