The Kremlin has launched a campaign of intimidation against schoolchildren, students and opposition figures in a drive to suppress dissent before mass protests in over 200 towns and cities across Russia today. Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader, has called people to action over allegations that Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, took £1 billion in bribes. Students have been threatened with expulsion and even prison sentences if they attend the protests.