Russian riot police detained at least three opposition leaders yesterday as they tried to attend a banned rally against President Vladimir Putin.

Leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov raised a fist in the air as police hauled him away into a waiting van near Lubyanka Square in central Moscow, ahead of a rally.

And Ilya Yashin said on Twitter that he and Ksenia Sobchak, both prominent members of the opposition, were detained as they made their way to the rally, which was intended to mark 12 months of protests against Putin.