Dmitry Gudkov, a prominent opposition politician and former parliamentarian, was detained by Russian law enforcement officials on Tuesday, TASS news agency reported, part of a broader crackdown on Kremlin critics.
While a sitting lawmaker in the lower house of parliament, Gudkov was expelled from the Just Russia party in 2013 for helping organize anti-Kremlin protests. He later went on to join Russia's liberal opposition and oppose President Vladimir Putin.
In a social media statement earlier on Tuesday, Gudkov, 41, had said police were searching a cottage he was staying in and were also targeting former and current members of his staff.