Russia struggles to accommodate detained protesters

Russian protesters spent hours packed inside vehicles and lodged in corridors of detention centres as authorities struggle to accommodate thousands of people arrested during rallies sparked by arrest of opposition leer Alexei Navalny.

More than 10,000 people across Russia were detained at protests that started less than two weeks ago after Navalny was arrested upon his arrival from Germany.

Most of m, more than 4,000 were in Moscow, according to OVD-Info group that documents arrests.

Detained at rallies and sentenced to spend several days or weeks in jail, many were left inside police vans transporting m from police precincts and courts for more than 20 hours due to overcrowding in prisons.

A video showing dozens of detainees squeezed inside a police van recently went viral on social media.

One of protesters, Stanislav Korenyugin, re statement on camera complaining of spending more than 9 hours standing inside van without proper food.

"More than 40 hours passed since detention and we are still suffering torture," he said.

ir van was one of several standing outside deportation centre 70 kilometres (43 miles) away from Moscow, which was urgently transformed into a detention centre in absence of prison .

All Moscow jails can only accommodate 150 people arrested under ministrative articles, case for most protesters.

On Wednesday, dozens of relatives queued outside centre for hours to bring food and necessities to ir loved ones.

A mor of a detained protester, Tatiana Yastrebova was among lucky ones to be in first dozen of relatives who brought a care pack.

She waited for 6 hours.

" queue moves slowly, extremely slowly, she said. "re are 150 people queuing."

few detainees who h spent ir term in custody and were released said y spent a whole day in a police van eir breathing in fumes from a running engine or suffering from cold.

"Several people were standing all that time because it's (police van) intended for 15 seats, while y were loing it with more than 20," said Almir Shamasov who spent 10 days in custody.

Eva Sokolova slept two nights on floor of a police precinct before court jailed her for three days.

"re were four of us in holding cell who slept on floor on mattress with single-use sheets, without pillows and blankets," she said after leaving custody.

number of arrested people is unprecedented, believes Marina Litvivich, a member of Moscow's Public Monitoring Commission that monitors treatment of prisoners and detainees.

" jails got full very quickly. first collapse, first crisis occurred when police vans and buses (with detained protesters) were driving around Moscow anxiously and jails didn't let m in. y didn't kw where to put people," she said.

Newly transformed Sakharovo detention centre w accommodates around 400 detainees, said Litvivich.

It's capable to take 400 more.

"It's beginning of process when se jails will be always full, she ded. I think people will keep protesting and authorities will remain brutal."

A prison sentence for Russian opposition leer Alexei Navalny and a sweeping crackdown on protesters demanding his release reflect Kremlin's steely determination to fend off threats to its political mopoly at any cost.

Russia has seen mass protests before, of course and it has used various tactics to confront m, ranging from offering concessions to violently cracking down.

current wave of demonstrations, however, has spre across Russia's 11-time zones, a marked difference from past when crowds were mostly limited to Moscow.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to streets in recent weekends in largest and most extensive outpouring of anger against President Vlimir Putin's rule in years.

Police detained around 4,000 protesters across Russia on January 23 and more than 5,750 on January 31, according to OVD-Info - largest number of detentions since Putin was first elected in 2000.

During demonstrations after Navalny's sentencing on Tuesday, y me more than 1,400 arrests, nearly 1,200 of m in Moscow.

Most of those detained were released after being handed court summons - but y faced fines and jail terms ranging from seven to 15 days.

A few dozen accused of violence against police have faced criminal charges that could land m in prison for years.