MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Twenty criminal cases were opened in various Russian regions following the January 23 unauthorized rallies, Russian Investigative Committee Spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said on Tuesday.

According to the spokeswoman, most of the cases were initiated on charges of the use of violence against an official (article 318 of the Russian Criminal Code). Four such cases were opened in Moscow alone. Two people were detained and one of them was arrested.

Unauthorized rallies were held in many Russian cities on January 23, despite the interior ministry’s warnings about responsibility for taking part in them.