By Alexei Dovbysh
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - Russian riot police detained at least 100 people on Sunday protesting against government measures linked to the economic crisis, a crackdown that highlighted official sensitivity to growing hardship.
Protests took place across Russia against car import tariffs, which are being raised to prop up car producers and discourage Russians from buying second-hand vehicles.
In the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, 6,000 km (3,750 miles) east of Moscow, riot police broke up an unsanctioned rally organised against the duties, kicked a protester as he was being held and hurled a cameraman's gear to the ground.
Police used a loudhailer to order demonstrators to go home as they gathered near the city centre, and the OMON riot police with insignia suggesting they came from the Moscow region, started snatching people after an uneasy 30-minute standoff.
Local media said 100-200 of the 500 participants were detained but authorities declined to confirm this figure.
Russia's Far East is a major importer of used Japanese cars and analysts say the protests are the first serious challenge by Russians to measures directly linked to the financial crisis.
The global economic crisis has battered Russian financial markets and oil, a chief source of foreign currency revenue, has plunged from $147 to under $40 per barrel in six months.
Protesters want Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to reverse the tariff hike, which they say will destroy livelihoods.
"For me, the car business is the only way to support my family," said car dealer Nikolai Kostalenko.
Nikolai Markovtsev, a local parliamentarian with the pro-Kremlin Fair Russia party, said protesters wanted to protect their jobs. "The government has shown how it interacts with the people. They should talk to people, not twist their arms."
In Moscow, 1,000 people attended a Communist Party rally to mark the birth of Stalin 110 years ago. The government's handling of the financial crisis was the focus of criticism.
Around 100 people attended a smaller anti-car duty protest in the capital and about 25 attended one in St. Petersburg.
The car duty is largely a defensive measure to protect Russia's domestic motor industry, which is mostly based around the Volga region cities like Togliatti, home of the Soviet-era Lada cars, several time zones to the west.
(Writing by Conor Sweeney in Moscow; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)
