Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell arrested in Moscow ahead of World Cup opening ceremony

The well-known British-based activist was standing near the statue of Marshal Zhukov near Red Square and the Kremlin holding a poster which read: "Putin fails to act against Chechnya torture of gay people," before several police officers moved in to apprehend him.

A spokesman for the campaigner tweeted: “Peter has been detained by Moscow Police and taken to Tverskaya Police Station.”

Using the hashtags #RainbowRussians and #WorldCup2018 it urged followers to support Mr Tatchell and called on Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to act immediately.

A spokesman for the British embassy in Moscow said: “We are urgently investigating the arrest of a British national in Moscow with the local authorities and will provide further updates soon.”

In a statement before beginning his protest, Mr Tatchell said: "President Putin has failed to condemn and act against the homophobic witch-hunts in Chechnya, which have seen scores of LGBT+ people arrested and tortured, with some even being murdered.

"Russia's 2013 anti-gay law against so-called 'homosexual propaganda' has been used to criminalise peaceful LGBT+ protests, sack LGBT+ teachers and suppress welfare organisations that support LGBT+ teenagers.

"Little action has been taken by the Russian government and police to crack down on far right extremists who target LGBT+ people for violent and humiliating assaults - including the instigators of the current threats to bash and stab LGBT+ football fans at the World Cup."

One-man protests are usually legal in Russia and official approval is only needed for demonstrations involving two or people.

But over the World Cup, a temporary rule has been introduced in some areas, meaning even one-man protests are illegal.

Mr Tatchell was allowed to walk to a nearby police car where he was initially questioned before being driven away to a police station.