More Than 800 Detained in Protests in Russia, Monitoring Group Says.

Police in Russia detained at least 839 people on Sunday in nationwide protests against a proposed government pension overhaul, a Russian independent monitoring group said. The protests were organized by supporters of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is under administrative arrest for organizing an unsanctioned rally in the capital in January.

The crackdown was heaviest in Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, according to independent local media and OVD-Info, a nonprofit organization that monitors detentions. The group said at least 354 people were detained in the city.

Protests organized by Navalny have become a vehicle for expressing discontent with Russian President Vladimir Putin and government corruption. Putin's ratings remain consistently high but have been dented by the pension controversy.