Andrei Pivovarov: Kremlin critic pulled off plane, arrested

Pivovarov heads the Open Russia movement, which recently dissolved itself over fears its members would be punished under new laws.

Russian authorities have arrested a prominent opposition activist after he was hauled off a flight, and raided the homes of several others. Andrei Pivovarov, the head of the Open Russia movement, was pulled off a Warsaw-bound plane at St Petersburg’s airport just before takeoff late on Monday. Pivovarov’s team said police questioned him, searched his apartment and opened a criminal case against him on Tuesday for allegedly violating Russia’s legislation on “undesirable organisations”.