News reports said police detained 33 people, including Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin. He told the Interfax news agency that he and four others had been told by police they would be held until Monday, but when police failed to produce the proper documentation they walked out of the police station.
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Since Vladimir Putin was first elected president in 2000, Russia has seen a steady erosion of democratic and civic institutions. The opposition has largely been barred from elections and national television has been put under Kremlin control.