MOSCOW: An ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday announced plans for a new nationwide protest in support of the jailed politician, telling Russians to gather in residential courtyards on Sunday evening and turn on their mobile phone torches.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against the incarceration of Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, who says he is being persecuted for political reasons.
Police detained over 11,000 people who took part in what they said were unsanctioned protests which the Kremlin condemned as illegal and dangerous.
Leonid Volkov, a Navalny ally based outside Russia, said the new protest format this weekend, which is reminiscent of tactics used by the anti-government opposition in neighbouring Belarus, should help distance protesters from the police.
Volkov called on people in big Russian cities to gather in residential courtyards near their homes at 1700 GMT and to stand there for several…