Eight people, tried in the largest Russian political trial of the past half-century, were jailed last week having been held for protesting the seemingly endless presidency of Vladimir Putin, writes Masha Gessen

Russian investigators have filed charges against a left-wing activist, making him the most prominent opposition figure to face prison under an increasingly severe Kremlin crackdown against the anti-Putin protest movement.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Moscow today in the first anti-Putin demonstration in months.

Police in Moscow have arrested top opposition figures along with demonstrators after a protest march on the eve of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration as president tried to reach the Kremlin.

As the Russian people begin to tire of his stunts, it is high time Vladimir Putin left the political spotlight, writes Nina L Khrushcheva