Russia defends police act to Sunday's protest

Russian law enforcement agencies acted properly during Sunday's "unauthorized" protest, during which hundreds of participants were detained, the Kremlin said Monday.

"The law enforcement agencies acted correctly, highly professionally and in accordance with the law," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Official data showed that about 7,000-8,000 people took to the street in downtown Moscow on Sunday in a protest against corruption. Police detained some 500 people during the demonstration.

The protesters rallied in an unauthorized place and at an unauthorized time, hampering traffic and passers-by, Peskov commented on the detentions.

The spokesman said the Kremlin respects people's rights to express their positions but does not "permit illegal provocations."

Among the detained was rally organizer Alexey Navalny, who is the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation and the chairman of the Progress Party in Russia.

Navalny has often publicly criticized the Kremlin and announced his intention late last year to run for the Russian presidency in 2018.

The European Union and the U.S. Department of State issued statements on Monday, urging Russia to release the detained demonstrators.

At a press conference on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of using "double standards" and ignoring similar restrictive measures taken against demonstrators in their own countries.