Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny arrested after calling day of nationwide protests

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been arrested after he called a nationwide day of protests against the Government of President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Navalny was detained by police in central Moscow on Sunday after he made a brief appearance at a rally.

Footage showed him being grabbed by several officers and forced to the ground before he was bundled into a police van.

A raid was also staged on his campaign offices in the Russian capital.

The arrest came as Mr Navalny's supporters held rallies at a number of cities calling for a boycott of the upcoming presidential election.

The upcoming Spring elections are expected to deliver a fourth term in office for President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Navalny had attempted to stand as a rival candidate but had been barred due to a conviction for embezzlement charge in a case widely seen as politically motivated.

He called a day of protest on Sunday in protest at his exclusion from the race.

Major protests were expected in the two main cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but there were also significant demonstrations in smaller regional cities.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is set to win a fourth term in office. Credit: AP

Sizeable gatherings have been reported Sunday in the Far East and Siberia, including one in remote Yakutsk where the temperature reportedly was minus-45 C (minus-49 F).

Several hundred demonstrators assembled on the center square of the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, complaining both of President Vladimir Putin, who is running for a fourth term, and of the exclusion of Mr Navalny.

The opposition politician is expected to be charged with a public-order violation following his arrest, potentially carrying a punishment of 20 days in jail.

Mr Navalny first rose to prominence by highlighting corruption among top Russian officials, and he has become perhaps the country's most prominent political opposition figure.

He has repeatedly been arrested at demonstrations and often held for short periods before his release.