Putin warns of chaos

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a tough stance on the biggest mass protests of the past five years, comparing them to the bloodshed and chaos unleashed by the so-called Arab Spring revolutions and the uprising in neighboring Ukraine.

“The fight against corruption has become an instrument for selfish political goals,” Putin said Thursday at an international forum on the Arctic in the northern city of Arkhangelsk. “I think it isn’t right when certain political forces try to use this tool to promote themselves ahead of some political events, including electoral campaigns.”

Tens of thousands of people defied official bans on the rallies and gathered in more than 80 cities across Russia on Sunday to protest official corruption. Police detained 1,500 people nationwide, including more than 1,000 in Moscow. Opposition leader Alexey Navalny and at least 19 other people received prison sentences of up to 15 days, mostly for disobeying police, according to humanrights activists. The U.S. and Europe condemned the arrests.

The Russian leader, 64, said such unsanctioned protests risk plunging the country into violent unrest. “We know very well what bloody events it led to in the region,” Putin said.

Putin is likely to seek a further six years as president in elections next March. Navalny, 40, has said he’ll be a candidate, but the Kremlin insists he’s ineligible because of a fraud conviction that the opposition activist has dismissed as politically motivated.

Navalny called the protests after releasing a film online that accused Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of amassing lavish properties in Russia and abroad with the use of more than a billion dollars of funds. The government has denied the allegations.