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Anti-government protesters march through Russian capital as Putin supporters stage counter-rally
Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators are marching through Moscow and other Russian cities in protest at Vladimir Putin's grip on power.
Thousands of Putin supporters are also staging a rally in the capital a month before the presidential election that the prime minister is expected to win, putting him in power for six more years.
The rival demonstrators were undeterred by the freezing temperatures, which have plunged as low as -20C, with opposition leaders saying that up to 100,000 people had joined the protest in Moscow on Saturday.
The opposition is trying to maintain the momentum against Putin after the protests on 10 and 24 December, which were the biggest demonstrations in Russia since Putin was first elected president in 2000.
"We have already reached a point of no return. People have stopped being afraid and see how strong they are together," said anti-government protester Ivan Kositsky. The 49-year-old said Putin "wants stability, but you can only find stability in the graveyard".
Moscow police said up to 90,000 people were at the pro-Putin rally a few miles away.
Teachers have said trade unions pressured them to attend the pro-Putin rally.
"Trade union representatives called us together and said at least five to 10 people had to go to the Putin rally," said Sergei Bedchuk, a 54-year-old headteacher at the opposition protest in Moscow.
"I have something I believe in. We could not go there," he said, his daughter at his side with white ribbons in her hair – the symbol of the protest movement.
The protesters want a rerun of the parliamentary election held in early December, the release of prisoners jailed for political reasons, reform of the political system, dismissal of the central election commission chief and registration of more political parties. They have called on sympathisers not to cast a single vote for Putin on 4 March.
Putin was president from 2000 until 2008, when he ushered Dmitry Medvedev into the Kremlin because of a constitutional ban on anyone holding the presidency for three successive terms. Putin then became prime minister but remained the dominant leader.
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