Two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been arrested near the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were detained by law enforcement authorities on Tuesday, the activists said on Twitter.
“We have been arrested … and are accused of robbery,” Ms Tolokonnikova wrote.
Ms Alyokhina said they had been detained on suspicion of committing a crime but did not give details. Both women said police used force and threw them in a police van.
“At the time of our detention, we weren’t engaged in any protests, we were walking around Sochi. WE WERE WALKING,” Ms Tolokonnikova said.
Внутри автозака pic.twitter.com/rjukMd1PW4
— Мария Алехина (@MashaAlekhina) February 18, 2014
Маша Алехина, я и еще одна участница Pussy Riot едем в отдел полиции Блиново за нахождение в Сочи. pic.twitter.com/bj8qpX7gMN
— Надя Толокно (@tolokno) February 18, 2014
It is believed they were arrested in central Sochi, some 30km north of the main Olympic venues.
Russian human rights activist Semyon Simonov said they had been accused of theft and that several other activists who were protesting alleged abuses of migrant labourers were being held with them.
The two women were in the city with other members of Pussy Riot to record a musical film called ‘Putin Will Teach You To Love The Motherland’, Ms Tolokonnikova’s husband said on his Twitter.
Members of the band spent nearly two years in prison but were released in December.