A protester is roughly handled by police in a dramatic day of demonstrations that saw around 1500 arrested. Picture: AP Photo/Denis Tyrin.

The Russian opposition leader was detained at home on Monday ahead of mass rallies across several Russian cities he had encouraged on social media.

He’s been sentenced to a month in jail for organising illegal rallies in which thousands of young people gathered to chant things like: “Russia without Putin!” and “Putin is a thief!”

It’s estimated between 800-1500 people were detained, mainly in Moscow and St Petersburg as protesters clashed with police in dramatic scenes involving young people “plucked from the crowd”, according to reporters at the scene.

Authorities deemed the protest a “provocation” and Russia’s Investigative Committee said one officer was sprayed with tear gas while carrying out his duties.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “the actions of the authorities were taken in full compliance with our legislation.”

Young people were among those arrested in the protests held across several Russian cities. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.Source:AP

The protests turned violent after Mr Navalny urged his supporters online to turn up at the site of a Russian National Day celebration. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.Source:AP

Navalny-backer and fellow anti-corruption campaigner, Roman Borisovich, said the crackdown stinks of a government-orchestrated plan to keep him out of the public eye.

“It’s entirely expected that he would have been arrested. It was entirely expected that he would have been sentenced,” he told news.com.au.

“Thirty days seems a bit harsh. The fact he was taken from his house without even reaching the protest area is absolutely clear we know where this is coming from.”

Mr Borisovich is one of the original backers of Mr Nalvany who fled Russia and has since worked to expose assets owned by Russian leaders overseas. He now runs “kleptocracy” tours of luxury London properties and has campaigned for greater transparency to crack down on money laundering.

He said Mr Navalny is “one of the most courageous men” he’d ever met and recalled how they joked about “what’s the worst that could happen?”

“Three years later I remember thinking back, how naive we were,” he said.

Many of those arrested were young people in protests that spread from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.Source:AP

The anti-corruption rally attracted those fed-up with alleged cronyism among Putin and his allies. Picture: AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky.Source:AP

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is a former lawyer who has made a career out of exposing wealth of Russian officials and wants to run for the Presidency next year. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.Source:AP

WHO IS ALEXEI NAVALNY?

The 41-year-old has made a name for himself documenting the assets allegedly owned by government officials despite their relatively low salaries. He has claimed Putin’s government is “sucking the blood out of Russia” and branded his party members “crooks and thieves”.

He has made a film accusing Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of owning millions in assets and plans to run for President in 2018.

However this is complicated by a controversial corruption charge that could prohibit him. His backers say it’s a trumped-up excuse to prevent him from gaining office and has been potentially dubbed Russia’s “Mandela moment”.

Monday’s protests are the second time this year he’s made headlines after encouraging similar actions in March. Mr Navalny used social media to encourage protests on Russia’s national day which spread to 100 towns and cities across the country.

Despite making waves his official poll figures are low — at about two per cent according to Russia Today, compared to more than 80 per cent for President Putin.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer condemned the crackdown saying: “The Russian people deserve a government that supports an open marketplace of ideas.”

Amnesty International said that “a crackdown on peaceful protests in which hundreds of people were arrested and numerous others beaten by police demonstrates the authorities’ utter contempt for fundamental human rights.”

— with wires.

Reporters at the scene said police manhandled the demonstrators and beat them with batons after the location changed at the last minute. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.Source:AP