MOSCOW—Russian police searched the homes of several prominent opposition leaders Monday, raising the pressure on critics just a day before a major antigovernment rally in Moscow.
The searches, which lasted more than 10 hours and ended with the confiscation of computers, documents and large sums of cash, marked a new escalation in the Kremlin's crackdown on opponents. They came after President Vladimir Putin signed into law a controversial bill on Friday that sharply increases fines for violations at protests.
Investigators also summoned protest leaders for questioning Tuesday in what activists said seemed to be an attempt to prevent them from attending the demonstration.
Authorities said their actions were entirely in line with procedure and part of a probe into violence that broke out between police and demonstrators at the last protest, on May 6. No opposition leaders have yet been charged in that case. But due to the charges' severity, anyone charged in that case could see substantially longer jail terms than the 15 days protesters often get for minor violations.
A spokesman for the Investigative Committee, which handled the actions Monday, said in a statement that investigators confiscated "large amounts of agitation materials and literature with antistate slogans," as well as computers and other materials.
Monday's searches elicited angry responses even from figures relatively loyal to the Kremlin. Mikhail Fedotov, chairman of the presidential human-rights commission, told the Interfax news agency he was "shocked" and said he canceled a trip to be able to attend Tuesday's demonstration as an observer.
Alexei Kudrin, a longtime Putin ally and former finance minister, said on Twitter, "The searches of the opposition leaders on the eve of June 12, alongside the new law, will radicalize the protest and demonstrate the strengthening of the influence of radicals in the regime."
Opposition leaders said they thought the actions would only add to turnout at Tuesday's demonstration, which is shaping up to be a test of strength for Kremlin critics and of the authorities' tolerance for protests. The protesters are calling for an end to Mr. Putin's domination of the political system, new parliamentary elections after allegations of widespread fraud in the December vote, and an end to Kremlin media control.
A prominent Internet TV station said local residents who had agreed to allow cameras into their apartments to film the march changed their minds or stopped answering phones Monday.
Investigators' actions Monday were covered virtually live in Twitter, at least until police confiscated activists' computers, iPads and cellphones.Anticorruption blogger Alexei Navalnyi kept up a steady stream of reports during the more than 10 hours police spent at his apartment. Policemen with submachine guns stood guard at the door.
A smiling Mr. Navalnyi followed masked investigators carrying boxes of confiscated materials from his apartment and denounced the probe as an effort at "intimidation" aimed at sabotaging the protest and collecting information on opponents. "All this will lead to greater turnout," he said.
Leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov said police "turned his apartment upside-down" and summoned him for questioning Tuesday. "They clearly want to prevent me from coming to the demonstration," he wrote in Twitter. "In any case, I appeal to all to come out tomorrow to the protest. We shouldn't have fear." Investigators said they confiscated lists of members of his movement from his apartment.
Kseniya Sobchak, the glamorous TV host who has become one of the stars of the protest movement since it picked up pace in December, also was targeted Monday. Her lawyer said police had qualified her as a witness in the case against Ilya Yashin, a young opposition leader to whom she has been linked romantically.
Ms. Sobchak complained in Twitter that she was "half-dressed" during the search and wasn't allowed to change her clothes. She said police had read her correspondence with "her beloved person," though she didn't mention Mr. Yashin by name.
She also said police confiscated €1.5 million ($1.9 million) in cash from her apartment. She didn't explain why she had such a large sum of money at home. Many major transactions in Russia, such as real estate, are conducted in cash.
The Investigative Committee said it found over €1 million in both euros and dollars, "packed in more than 100 envelopes," and was trying to ascertain its source and purpose.
Write to Alexander Kolyandr at Alexander.Kolyandr@dowjones.com and Gregory L. White at greg.white@wsj.com
Vladimir Putin, opposition leaders, Kremlin, Russian police, demonstration, Investigators, Investigative Committee, opposition leader
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