Russian police briefly detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny outside of a Moscow election office.
Navalny had just registered for the September mayoral election Wednesday afternoon and was addressing supporters when officers moved through the crowd and dragged him to an awaiting police bus.
Supporters then surrounded the vehicle preventing it from leaving and police released him within minutes.
Upon his released, Navalny thanked the crowd and declared it the beginning of a "wonderful election campaign".
The opposition leader is currently facing charged of embezzling $500,000 worth of timber from a state-owned company while working as an adviser to a provincial governor in 2009.
Navalny, who exposed alleged government corruption, says the charges are revenge and are intended to silence him.
Under Russian law, he will not be allowed to run for for mayor or any future office if convicted.
Navalny had just registered for the September mayoral election Wednesday afternoon and was addressing supporters when officers moved through the crowd and dragged him to an awaiting police bus.
Supporters then surrounded the vehicle preventing it from leaving and police released him within minutes.
Upon his released, Navalny thanked the crowd and declared it the beginning of a "wonderful election campaign".
The opposition leader is currently facing charged of embezzling $500,000 worth of timber from a state-owned company while working as an adviser to a provincial governor in 2009.
Navalny, who exposed alleged government corruption, says the charges are revenge and are intended to silence him.
Under Russian law, he will not be allowed to run for for mayor or any future office if convicted.