Several police officers placing Yulia Navalny into a van:

An officer can be seen drawing his service pistol after being punched and kicked by demonstrators, who were chasing a small group of policemen down a street just off Sennaya Square in St. Petersburg.

An unconscious man being carried onto a bus in the historic city center as police could be seen making arrests outside.

The opposition-leaning news outlet also reported that journalists wearing identifying yellow vests were detained by officers in riot gear. A video shows one being carried by their arms and legs to an awaiting van.

A letter to President Biden by allies of jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny, sparked fierce backlash and calls for harsh measures against high-profile Russian officials and businessmen.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), set up by Navalny in 2011, has asked the White House for fresh sanctions, local media reported on Sunday. The group is registered as a 'foreign agent' by the Russian Ministry of Justice, because it has received funding from abroad in the past.

The appeal calls on Biden to target the "corrupt Russian allies of President [Vladimir] Putin." "We would be grateful if the US would take concrete policy and sanctions actions to limit corruption and abuse of human rights,"

Among those on the list are billionaire Roman Abramovich, the country's Minister for Health Mikhail Murashko and 33 other prominent Russians. However, amidst those singled out by the group, seven of those named are already targeted under existing US sanctions lists.

Vladimir Ashurkov, executive director of the foundation, told CNN that the letter was personally addressed to Biden as leader of the world's 'most powerful country.' "If anyone can do anything, it is the United States," he said. The group is reportedly planning to send similar letters to leaders of the European Union and the United Kingdom.

First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov slammed the organization in comments made to RIA Novosti.

"It smacks of treason. Can you imagine an American organization appealing to Vladimir Putin with a request to impose sanctions on the US president? This must be harshly suppressed. There must be a strong reaction from law enforcement agencies, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and [the state security agency] the FSB."

© Sputnik/Alexey Mayshev
Moscow Protest, week #2

© Sputnik/Yevgeny Odinokov
Novosibirsk, Russia at -20 degrees Celsius

Clips from Russia's second largest city showed lines of OMON troops, the country's specialist riot police, beating their shields and pushing back waves of demonstrators.

The Union of Journalists of Russia issued a warning after 60 media workers were detained. At least eight of those held by police were in St. Petersburg and footage showed a reporter in a fluorescent yellow 'press' vest being carried off to a waiting vehicle.

GameStop, AMC stocks rise as retail traders look to inflict more pain on Wall Street

GameStop's stock is likely to continue its rally, as it added over six percent in early pre-market trading on the first trading day of the week. It comes after the company's share price jumped 400 percent last week and surged over 1,600 percent for the whole January.

AMC is also expected to open this month with gains, as its shares rose nearly 20 percent. The movie theater operator's stock gained over 200 percent last week.

Both companies are at the epicenter of the Reddit-driven short-squeeze on big hedge funds. A group of small investors united to boost shares of several firms the funds were betting against as they held short positions against the stock. The coordinated action caused a huge price rally and cost the short-sellers on Wall Street billions of dollars in losses.

Robinhood narrows trade restrictions list to 8 companies, including GameStop

Online brokerage Robinhood has cut down the list of its restricted stocks, from as many as 50 on Friday to eight starting Monday. Trade in short-squeeze names like GameStop has been limited due to last week's explosive rallies.

Companies that still face limitations include GameStop, AMC Entertainment Holdings, Blackberry, and others, Robinhood said, noting that the limits may be "subject to change throughout the day."

Opening new positions in those securities is limited, according to its website, which lists the maximum number of shares and options contracts each user can hold. For those whose current holdings already exceed the limits, their positions won't be sold or closed. At the moment, customers can only buy one share of GameStop's stock and five options contracts.

The millennial-favored stock trading app said on Friday it had put buying restrictions in place after its clearinghouse deposit requirements for equities increased last week. "It was not because we wanted to stop people from buying these stocks," Robinhood said.

The trading app, which is popular among retail investors who fostered the rise of GameStop stock, has been under fire for its decision to restrict trading of high-flying stocks that surged after being touted on social media.

On Sunday, US Senator Elizabeth Warren called for a broader review by the Securities and Exchange Commission on recent trading swings. She said a broker-dealer like Robinhood that invites a lot of individual investors needs to operate "under some basic rules."

"You can't do that in the middle of a trading cycle," Warren told CNN about Robinhood's trading limits. "It's not about protecting people from making bad trades. It's about keeping the playing field level."

See: Suck It, Wall Street

Robinhood raises another $2.4 billion from investors

Online brokerage Robinhood raised another $2.4 billion from shareholders, just days after existing investors pumped in $1 billion in funding, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday citing people familiar with the matter.

Robinhood did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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