US urges for 'immediate release' of Russian activist detained in Moscow

The United States is troubled over the detention of prominent civil society leader Vladimir Kara-Murza by the Russian authorities in Moscow, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday.

Taking to Twitter, Blinken said that the US is monitoring the situation closely and urged the immediate release of the activist.

"The United States is troubled by Russian authorities' detention today in Moscow of prominent civil society leader Vladimir Kara-Murza. We are monitoring this situation closely and urge his immediate release," the Secretary of State said.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent Kremlin critic who has survived two suspected poisonings, has been detained outside of his apartment building in Moscow on Monday, according to Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin and media reports.

According to CNN Yashin has learned about the detention from Kara-Murza's lawyer Vadim Prokhorov.

"I just found out about his detention, so far I can't say the details," Prokhorov told Russian media cited by CNN.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, Russian forces have destroyed 182 Ukrainian aircraft and helicopters, 177 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,393 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 134 multiple rocket launchers, 523 field artillery guns and mortars, and 1,182 special military vehicles.

On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after "requests" from the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics for help to protect them from t intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation targets Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Russia has said it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.

( With inputs from ANI )