Thousands of opponents of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rallied under the banner “For Fair Elections” on Novy Arbat street in central Moscow on Saturday.
Thousands of opponents of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin rallied under the banner “For Fair Elections” on Novy Arbat street in central Moscow on Saturday.
Police estimated the size of the crowd at 10,000 people as the rally got under way at 1:30 p.m.
The participants at Saturday’s rally were a mix of liberal opposition activists, nationalists, communists and pensioners, united only by their anger at Russia’s current political reality.
“We will continue to demand freedom of speech, snap parliamentary elections and a new presidential vote after the introduction of the new rules," opposition figure Vladimir Ryzhkov said at the rally.
Blogger and opposition activist Alexei Navalny also spoke at the rally.
The mood of the crowd was more subdued than in the string of mass opposition rallies held in the past three months in Moscow and numerous other Russian cities.
"My vote was stolen."
One protest participant was dressed as Robocop, the Hollywood science-fiction movie figure, and carried a sign reading: “Robocop Against The Robocops.”
Opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov called to get a million people to rally before Putin's inauguration on May 7.
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© RIA Novosti . Vladimir Astapkovich
Sergei Udaltsov attempted to lead some 60 activists in an unsanctioned march on the Kremlin from the Novy Arbat, but police stopped them, detaining Udaltsov and two others.
Five massive opposition events between December and March each attracted tens of thousands of demonstrators.
