Putin opponents protest across Russia Saturday

Protests demanding the annulment of Russia’s disputed elections spread across Russia Saturday, with the demonstration day starting on the far east and scheduled to hit Moscow and the west later in the day.

Reuters/Ilya Naymushin

The biggest rallies to hit Russia since the turbulent 1990s are the biggest challenge yet to Vladimir Putin, who has been president or prime minister for the last 12 years, and his United Russia party.

• In the Pacific port of Vladivostok 500 people braved a deep winter freeze and a heavy police presence to demand "jail for those who rigged the vote";
• In Khabarovsk, near China's eastern border, about 20 people were detained a few dozen people defied police orders for people to stay off the streets, RIA Novosti reported;
• In the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, 3,500 people joined a rally, according to organisers;
• In Tomsk, were UInited Russia suffered a drubbing at the polls, 1,500 demonstrated;
• Across the Ural and Volga regions rallies under the slogans "Russia without Putin" and "For fair elections" took place;
• In Moscow, authorities gave permission for 30,000 people to gather on a square across the river from the Kremlin at 2:00 pm (1000 GMT) but hundreds gathered on Revolution Square before than the officially sanctioned rally.

Putin's United Russia won a slender majority in last Sunday’s parliamentary election but its opponents claim it would have lost but for vote fraud.

Their complaints were supported by video footage posted on the internet and appearing to show ballot boxes being stuffed and other manipulation.

Putin is to bid to return to the Kremlin in a presidential poll in March.

Despite the wave of protests, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation and co-author of the book Voices of Glasnost - Conversations With Gorbachev’s Reformers, predicts he will win. 

"Despite the growing and real public disillusionment with his rule, he remains the most popular politician in the country," she says. "And in the time between now and March, the Kremlin will - no doubt learning from its experience with these elections - become more adept at using its 'administrative resources' - state and Kremlin oligarchical money and control of state television - more effectively to make sure there are no similar setbacks in the March presidential election."

But there has been a big change in the political and social landscape, she adds.

"The air of infallibility Putin has enjoyed - and counted on - for the past decade is gone. ... Russian civil society is engaged and active in ways not seen since the perestroika period of 1986-1991."