The White House has condemned the arrests of protesters at anti-corruption rallies in Russia.

Tens of thousands rallied in more than 100 Russian towns and cities on Monday, and hundreds were arrested. In Moscow, thousands of angry protesters held an unsanctioned rally on the capital's main street with riot police snatching hundreds of protesters from the crowd at random.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday that the United States "strongly condemns the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters" which he described as an "affront to core democratic values." Spicer called on the Russian government to immediately release all peaceful protesters.

A court in Moscow has yet to pass a ruling on opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who faces charges of disobeying police orders and calling for an unsanctioned protest.

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