Putin foes raided ahead of mass rally

Police armed with assault rifles raided the homes of Russia’s top protest leaders on Monday in a show of force on the eve of a mass Moscow rally against President Vladimir Putin’s rule.

The coordinated security sweep in the early hours of a public holiday targeted the homes of a new brand of young Russian politicians who analysts believe represent the biggest threat to ex-KGB spy Putin’s 12-year rule.

Officers beat down the doors of the increasingly popular anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny as well as media celebrity and more recent Putin critic Ksenya Sobchak.

Others on the list included Sergei Udaltsov — an outspoken ultra-leftist who stages periodic hunger strikes to protest his repeated arrests — and the far more moderate democracy campaigner Ilya Yashin.

“They are taking all the electronic devices,” Navalny tweeted during the raid. “Even disks with photos of the children.”

Russia’s powerful Investigative Committee said 10 raids were conducted in all as part of a probe over a previous demonstration “that ended in mass disturbances.”