His wife, Julia Navalny a, has been detained after marching for his release at an anti government protest in Moscow.

On Instagram, Mr Navalny a posted a picture of herself taken in a police van taken near the Kremlin.

She was one of tens of thousands protesting perceived Kremlin corruption and the wrongful arrest off her husband.

Yeah, with chance of Putin is a criminal and freedom for Navalny Thousands of demonstrators a rallying throughout Russia Government officials say at least 4000 people gathered in Moscow's Pushkin Sky a square.

Independent observers put that number at more than 10 times that.

Police have detained hundreds of participants at the unsanctioned demonstration, including prominent supporters of Alexei Navalny like his aide Liubov Sobol.

Okay, Booth, jailed opposition leader, called for the demonstrations after he was arrested at a Moscow airport and quickly sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Most organizer's didn't apply for permits, expecting they wouldn't be granted, and ahead of the protest, authorities warned security forces would be deployed, citing concerns about the covert pandemic refrain from participating.

I have to warn that law enforcement agencies will ensure that the necessary order is kept in the city.

More than 1000 people have been detained throughout the country is part of the largest opposition action in years, seen as a test of strength and Alexei Navalny's battle with the Kremlin.

Well, Our Moscow correspondent Emily Sherwin is in central Moscow.

Emily.

It's been some hours now since protesters started gathering.

What's happening where you are now?

Well, you might be able to hear the crowd behind me and around me, chanting, They're chanting Putin is a thief!

That's one of the chance that we've been hearing.

Throughout the day, people have been kind of gathering in different parts of the center, walking along one of Moscow's central streets here, that leads up to the Kremlin, where the police blocked the road.

They've been kind of walking back and forth, and now they've gathered on a smaller square.

They don't seem to want to go home.

We've been hearing from people that they are calling for Nevada need to be freed.

Of course, the point of this protest today is that just that.

But many people here told me that really, What happened this week with Navin?

Me with his arrest, also with the video that his team published showing Vladimir Putin's alleged palace that that is basically just the last straw for them.

And they just want to have a better life, too.

We live in a better country and to improve the own their own, the conditions of their own lives.

Essentially, Emily, As we heard Alexei Navalny's wife, Yulia, has been detained.

What does she represent to protesters?

Well, I think throughout this whole, um, last few months, especially since Aleksei Navalny was poisoned, she's really gained significance here in Russia.

Everyone knew who she was before as well, but I think the images of her kind of at the hospital in Arms Square she had just found out that most likely her husband had been poisoned.

The way she stayed strong, as many people here say, stayed tough.

That has gotten people's attention, and some people here have even been talking about the fact that perhaps she could try to run in the upcoming Duma elections, which are scheduled to take place in September, especially if Aleksei Navalny remains in prison he awaits a sentence in a few weeks.

Emily, the protesters remain behind you.

Despite the arrests, will this display the vast and determined as it seems, Change anything for Mr Navalny?

Well, I think throughout after his poisoning after Alexi Navalny is poisoning after the fact that he returned to Russia despite the threat of arrest which the authorities here made very clear and despite the fact that he was arrested, his significance has only grown here in Russia throughout the last few months.

And we've seen that on the streets of Moscow here today, with thousands of people taking to the streets who aren't going away and who are now chanting one for all and all for one in support of Aleksei Navalny.

Um it does seem that his significance, after all of that has only grown.

People have been watching in the million's the newest investigation that his team published into Vladimir Putin's alleged alleged riches.

And I think that is certainly an inconvenience Onda problem for the Kremlin going forward.

Emily, we've been looking at live pictures of the protesters who to this point refused to go home.

Is that of the greatest surprise to you?

the number of protesters or just how determined they are to stay and get their message across.

Well, I would say having been thio various authorized and unauthorized protests, opposition protests in the last few years, the size of this protest Onda also the determination off the protesters not to go home despite the massive arrests has surprised me on.

But it does show a new sense of determination.

And as people here have been saying to me, despite the huge police presence which you might be able to see also more and more police officers arriving, they aren't afraid.

They say no.

Vanni was not afraid to come back to Moscow even after he was poisoned, as he says by the security forces himself.

And now they say they aren't afraid either.

And just quickly before we go, Emily, how much of a threat is Navalny to Putin and the Kremlin?

At this point, they're just okay.

Sorry.

It's been a bit of a rush.

With the riot police now moving, I think we're going to have to move out of the way.

One protester is being arrested.

Um, Grisha, though I uh huh You may be able to see, the police has been treating protesters rather violently.

They just stopped what they were doing because they saw that we were filming.

Most likely.

But you can see that there's a police line over here just right behind me.

On behind that police line.

There are still protesters.

They've only managed to now clear part off this square behind me.

And people are shouting, We are the power here really kind of taking back the streets here in the center of Moscow despite the fact that the police here are dispersing protesters.

And despite the fact that the authorities have emphasized that this protest is not authorized Emily Sherwin in Moscow, right in the middle of the action.

Thank you so much.