Russia has demanded the release of ailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny supporters are also demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny, 44, was jailed in February and is demanding medical attention for acute back pain and leg numbness.
The largest protest was in Moscow, but others took place in major cities.
They protested in at least 10 cities, including Moscow, St. Petersburg and Ufa. Navalny’s wife also took part. The road was blocked in this unprecedented protest.
The fire was set in different places. At that time there were clashes with the security forces. One and a half thousand protesters were detained.
Political analysts say it is the largest protest in Russia’s recent history. The United Nations said earlier this week that Navalny had been subjected to “extreme torture” in Russian prisons. His physical condition is so fragile that he could die at any moment.
More than 14,000 people protested in 29 cities, police said. This included 6,000 people who gathered in Moscow.
But estimates from monitoring groups tend to far exceed official police figures. One such group, OVD-Info, said more than 1,000 people had been detained nationwide.
