About 10,000 rallied at the Manezh Square by the Kremlin walls to hail Putin’s victory at the presidential polls on Monday evening.

About 10,000 rallied at the Manezh Square by the Kremlin walls to hail Putin’s victory at the presidential polls on Monday evening.

Speakers at the pro-Putin event, which was followed by a concert, included sports and showbiz celebrities, who congratulated Putin with his victory while denouncing the opposition’s claims that campaigning was unfair and the vote was rigged.

State Duma deputies, boxer Nikolai Valuyev and figure-skater Irina Rodnina, and first deputy State Duma speaker Alexander Zhukov addressed the rally.

Police reported no incidents during the rally.

Putin supporters at the Manezh Square.

Putin supporters at the Manezh Square.

Rallies in support of Putin took place in cities across the country, the biggest of them in Lipetsk in central Russia, where some 9,000 gathered.
