Russian court remands Kremlin critic Andrei Pivovarov for two months

The ruling was described as a "pretext" to bar the 39-year-old activist from running in upcoming parliamentary elections

A Russian court on Wednesday ordered that Kremlin critic Andrei Pivovarov be held in pre-trial detention for two months, his allies said from the courtroom.

"Andrei Pivovarov has been detained for two months," allies wrote on his Facebook account from the courtroom, describing the ruling as a "pretext" to bar the 39-year-old activist from running in upcoming parliamentary elections.