Riot police push crowd out of Moscow airport as opposition figure Navalny expected to land in Russia (VIDEO)

Russian police in full riot gear have begun to push a large crowd out of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, that came to see opposition activist Alexey Navalny's return to Russia.

Officers used loudspeakers to demand that people “leave” the airport's arrivals terminal and go outside. “Only ticket-holders can enter the airport,” they said.

Supporters and news crews have gathered in Vnukovo to meet Navalny, who is due to arrive from Berlin on Sunday evening.

The Moscow prosecutor's office said earlier that the gathering at the airport has not been duly cleared by the authorities, and warned against violating the laws on public assembly.

Navalny has spent several months recuperating in Germany after suddenly falling ill during a campaign event in Russia last year.

German authorities claimed that the activist was poisoned by the Novichok chemical agent, while Navalny accused the Russian secret services of trying to assassinate him. Russian authorities have denied these allegations.

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