Moscow police have detained approximately a dozen activists at a nationalist rally informally known as the Russian March.
At least six march participants were detained for wearing medical masks and scarves that concealed their faces, while four were detained for wearing balaclavas. Two protesters were taken into custody for carrying Ukrainian flags, while two more were detained, respectively, for carrying fireworks and threatening to take their march to the Kremlin, the Slon news site reported.
Earlier this week, the Moscow authorities officially granted permission for the nationalists to hold a march near the Lyublino metro station in the southeast of the city. However, they forbade them from calling it a "Russian March" or from carrying signs in support of Dmitry Dyomushkin, a nationalist leader currently under house arrest for posting content deemed extremist in social media.
Approximately 350 people took part in the Russian March, according to the Interior Ministry. The march was one of three opposition mass gatherings planned for Nov. 4, a holiday known as National Unity Day in Russia. Two of these events, organized by different Russian ethno-nationalist factions, claim to be "Russian Marches."
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