Russian police have arrested dozens of supporters of the opponent Alexei Navalny, who took to the streets after his appeal to protest against President Vladimir Putin.
According to the NGO Ovd-Info, about 50 people were arrested in 10 cities.
Authorities had promised a harsh crackdown warning that unauthorized public events would be "suppressed immediately".
The first protests took place in the Far East and Siberia, including Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Chita, where several thousand people took to the streets, Navalny supporters said.
The first demonstrations against the arrest of Putin's main rival Alexiei Navalny began in eastern Russia, where the first arrests in Vladivostok and Khabarovsk are also recorded. The protest in Moscow starts at 2pm, 12pm in Italy.