Tens of thousands of Russians have rallied to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny.

Protests initially broke out on Jan. 23 from civilians voicing widespread disappointment with the current government, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has presided over for almost two decades. The rallies continued to grow throughout the following week and spread across the nation despite a large police presence and state threats of jailing, according to The New York Times.