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Moscow Police Detain, Release Peace March Participants

Police detained a dozen people for joining an unauthorized "march for peace" in Moscow, only to release them shortly afterwards, participants and media reports said Sunday.

The 30 demonstrators, in addition to a similar number of reporters, carried no banners during the Sunday rally, but some held up pieces of paper with handwritten notes that read: "peace march," journalist Filipp Kireyev said on his Facebook page.

"Everybody who had those pieces of paper was taken into police vans," Kireyev said.

At least 11 people were detained, OVDInfo news portal reported Sunday.

A peace march last spring drew tens of thousands of people, demanding that Moscow stop meddling in Ukraine, where it allegedly deploys troops to fight alongside pro-Russian separatists against Kiev government forces.

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