MOSCOW (AP) — In just a few days, Sergei Abanichev was arrested, thrown in jail and charged with a crime that could keep him behind bars for up to eight years — all, he says, for throwing a paper cup into the air at an opposition protest in Moscow.

The 25-year-old sales manager got caught up in an investigation into what Russian authorities describe as rioting. Fourteen people were charged, mostly people with no history of political activism.

Analysts say the probe is an attempt to crack down on anti-Kremlin dissent with trivial accusations that range from throwing the cup to directing the crowd to step off the pavement.

They say those charged appear to have been selected at random, and the charges are aimed at deterring anyone considering joining the weekly protests.