Garry Kasparov, the former chess champion, was in prison last night after riot police arrested opposition leaders and broke up demonstrations against President Putin a week before parliamentary elections.

Police seized around 200 people in St Petersburg as protesters chanted “Russia without Putin”. Leaders of the liberal Union of Right Forces (SPS) party, including its presidential candidate Boris Nemtsov, were among those held yesterday.

Mr Kasparov was arrested when 2,000 people attended an antiKremlin protest in Moscow on Saturday. He was later imprisoned by a court for five days for organising an “unsanctioned” rally.

He described the proceedings as “a symbol of what has happened to justice and the rule of law under Putin”. Both demonstrations had been organised by Mr Kasparov’s antiPutin movement, The Other Russia.

Police in riot gear packed St Petersburg to prevent protesters from marching towards the Winter Palace. Scores were dragged away, including Mr Nemtsov and the SPS leader Nikita Belykh, who are candidates in the election for the Duma, Russia’s parliament, on December 2.

Mr Nemtsov told the crowd: “They have forbidden us from discussing Putin. But we have come here today to ask Mr Putin and the authorities why there is so much corruption in the country.” Officers used truncheons to beat people who resisted being thrown into police vans. Hundreds more demonstrators made their way to a concert hall where city authorities had sanctioned an opposition rally. But police arrested more there, saying that they were in breach of public order because their time for the rally had expired.

Mr Nemtsov was released after two hours at a police station. Mr Putin is expected to speak in St Petersburg today as he steps up campaigning for United Russia, which is expected to win two-thirds of the seats in the Duma next week.

Mr Putin heads the pro-Kremlin party’s election list and has declared that a sweeping victory would give him the “moral right” to influence the Government after he steps down as president next March.

He is barred by the constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in the presidential election on March 2. There has, however, been a campaign to declare him “National Leader” so he can run the country in tandem with his successor.

He has 70 per cent approval ratings and many credit him with delivering political stability and prosperity.

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