Members of the Russian "United Democrats" movement, which campaigns for meaningful elections, were arrested in the western Tatarstan region on Saturday, the group said on Facebook.
Russian special forces seized the members in the Tatarstan capital Kazan "to investigate their involvement in terrorism," the group said, without giving details.
Anastasia Burakova, one of the movement's coordinators, said the arrests took place during a conference on municipal public procurement organised by the Berlin-based Transparency International NGO.
"About 15 minutes after the conference started... a large number of masked anti-riot police with machine guns broke into the headquarters and arrested around 17 people" whom they took to a police station, Burakova said.
In the evening, all the men arrested were freed, but three women were kept at the police station, Transparency International's Yekaterina Petrova told Interfax.
Launched in 2018, "United Democrats" was formed by a group of independent candidates in municipal elections, battling for a fair fight at the polls.
According to their website, they helped 139 independent deputies get elected in Saint Petersburg last September.
This September they aim to have candidates for municipal elections in four Russian regions, including Tatarstan.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
