WORLD BRIEFING / RUSSIA

Russian police thwarted opposition plans for a protest against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in central Moscow, detaining a prominent Kremlin critic and more than 30 other government opponents.

Eduard Limonov, leader of the banned National Bolshevik Party, was among at least 10 people seen being grabbed by police and dragged into buses as they tried to protest in Triumph Square. Police said about 100 people had tried to protest and that 33 were detained.

City authorities had refused to grant opposition organizations permission for the demonstration, but Limonov’s group and others said the city had no grounds for the denial and vowed to protest anyway.